


Light In The Dark

by AzurilNoirRaine



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Loki (Marvel), Bottom Tom, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gay Sex, Homosexual relationship, I Don't Even Know, Lazy Chubby Dog, M/M, Mentions of Past Heterosexual Relationship, Mentions of past abuse, Mercenaries, Past Character Death, Spies, Top Chris, Top Thor (Marvel), Violence, WIP, What Am I Even Shipping Anymore, Will add more tags as I go, no betas we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:40:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22028704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzurilNoirRaine/pseuds/AzurilNoirRaine
Summary: Chris spent years as 'Thor', a mercenary living and working in the dark. He spent most of his life doing other people's dirty work, working for organizations the general populous didn't necessarily need to know existed. He was used to the short notice jobs, the constant traveling, the late night calls to work. Used to no attachments, quick flings and solitary life. He had no problems with how things were...until the day he knocked into Tom, until he found his light.Or the one where Chris/Thor is a mercenary that falls for a normal member of the general populous (Tom/Loki) and has to navigate his way through various challenges in order to maintain the relationship without issue.
Relationships: Chris Hemsworth/Tom Hiddleston, Hiddlesworth - Relationship, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Loki/Thor (Marvel), Sif & Thor (Marvel), Stucky, thorki
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, to be honest, I’ve lost track of which ship I’m about to use. I wanted to write a Thorki fic, but then I needed normal names for them for plot reasons. So I was like “I’ll be the most original person in the world and use their actors’ first names!” But then something that wasn’t supposed to happen happened and I started to picture Loki as Tom in my head and now I have no idea what I’m shipping. Could be Thorki, could be Hiddlesworth, could be Hiddlesthor, could be Hemslok. Fuck if I know….Also, if the second two don’t sound familiar, it’s because, as far as I know, there’s no ship names for those specific characters/people so I pulled some out of my butt. So, while working on the other four Thorki fics I have going, I got this idea and thought “Why not? It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do.” So, here we are. Me up to my shoulder tats in unfinished fanfics, again. This is a sort of “Secret agent”, “Black Ops”, “Government assassin”, “Mercenary” kind of thing. Thor/Chris is a merc, Loki/Tom is a civi. The other Asgardians and Avengers and the lot are more agents or operatives or mercenaries. So, yeah, Loki has potentially turned into Tom and I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. Also Stucky. That is all. Enjoy.

The cafe was a good meeting place, often practically deserted, especially on a weekday like this. Chris ordered his usual iced coffee, glancing around a bit before adding a pastry to his order, as though afraid someone would catch him doing so. He collected his order, starting on the pastry quickly, not entirely paying attention until he ran squarely into someone. He took a step back in surprise, his unintentional victim yelping as they hit the floor…showered with the iced coffee Chris had dropped in surprised. He stood there staring for a moment at the slim, leggy man on the ground, sputtering as he wiped the cold liquid off his face best he could, glasses askew and hair wet from the cup that had bounced off it. It took Chris a moment to register everything, only properly doing so when two women ran to the smaller man’s rescue.  
“Oh my god, Tommy, are you ok?!” One of them asked as she and her companion helped him to his feet.  
“Fine, fine, no harm done.” He said, taking his glasses off to wipe them clean, before realizing his shirt was soaked and would be useless.  
“Here,” the other woman said, snatching a napkin from Chris while giving him the evil eye, and handing it to the man. “try that. Better than nothing.”  
“What’s _wrong_ with you?” The first woman snapped, glaring at Chris. “You ran right into him and didn’t even say sorry or try to help him up!”  
“I…” He wasn’t entirely sure what to say. He looked from the woman to the man he’d run into, he was soaked in a large iced coffee, assuring his companion that he was fine as she fussed over him.  
“Oh, just move out of the way!” The woman snapped at him, shoving him aside roughly as she walked over to the condiments station to grab napkins. “Here, Tommy, let me give you a hand.” She said when she returned to the group. The baristas and what few customers were there were staring by now.  
“I can manage, Jane, really.” He assured her with a smile before looking at Chris. “Sorry.”  
“No, no, I ran into you, you don’t need to apologize.” Chris finally said.  
“ _You_ need to, though.” Jane said, poking Chris in the chest. “Go on.”  
“Jane, really, it’s alright.”  
“It is not alright. He can’t just knock you over and stare like that.” Jane insisted.  
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention, it was entirely my bad.” Chris said, Tom waved a hand dismissively.  
“No harm done, really.” He assured the larger man, still smiling.  
“Come on, let’s get home and you can change.” The other woman said, nudging him towards the door.  
“So much for a nice sibling outing.” Jane muttered. Chris did a double take. The trio didn’t look like siblings, but who was he to say?  
“Looks like you need a new coffee.”  
“Yes, Tash, it does.” Chris replied flatly as a young woman walked up to him, hands in the pockets of her coat.  
“Well, if you’re going to the counter…”  
“What do you want?”  
“A caramel latte with-are you paying attention?”  
“Huh?” Chris looked away from the door to the cafe, back at his companion, who raised an eyebrow and looked past him at the trio that had just left, hailing a cab outside. “Sorry, mocha what?”  
“Look, I know this place is never all that busy, but smacking into someone when you’re focusing all your attention on trying to choke down a pastry before Sam gets here to tease you about ordering it is kind of to be expected. Let’s go, you can buy me a coffee.” She hooked her arm under his, guiding him around to the counter again, nudging him along whenever he looked over his shoulder until the trio got a cab and drove off.

~

Chris took a while to return to the cafe. He’d been out of the country for over a month and stopping at different locations for a while. When he returned, the trio was back as well, already seated with their drinks and baked goods. Tom noticed him first, smiling a bit and giving him a wave of greeting. His companions followed his gaze and glared for a moment before Chris returned the wave and went on his way. He got his iced coffee, foregoing the pastry this time, finding a seat in the back, away from everyone, to enjoy his drink before whoever was meeting him met him.  
“Excuse me?” He remembered that voice, and was a bit surprised to hear it again so close. He looked up to see Tom standing there with an apologetic look on his face.  
“Um…hello.” Chris said, uncertain as to what to do next.  
“Hello. I just…” He looked over his shoulder at the two women, who were chatting amongst themselves, before returning his gaze to Chris. “May I?” He gestured to the empty chair across from Chris, who gave a nod. “Thank you.” He took a seat, hands folded on the table, glancing back at the two women again. “I just…I know this will sound odd, it’s been months since this happened, but I wanted to apologize.”  
“Like I said, I ran into you. You don’t need to apologize for anything.” Chris assured him, Tom shook his head a bit.  
“Not for that. For my sisters. They’re a bit on the protective side and they can overreact at times where I’m involved.”  
“Oh.”  
“So, I’m sorry for their behavior, that amount of hostility was unwarranted.” Tom said before standing up. “Enjoy your drink, sorry to bother you.” He gave Chris a quick smile before returning to his siblings.  
“Damn.” Chris jumped, looking over his shoulder at the man standing there. “That’s the guy from the ‘pastry incident’, right?”  
“Nice to see you too, Clint.” Chris muttered, leaning back in his seat as the other man joined him, a coffee cup in hand. “And yes, it is.”  
“Nat said he apologized for you running into him too.”  
“He did…his sisters weren’t too happy about it.” Chris said, watching Tom chat with his sisters.   
“Yeah, I saw the death glares you got when you came in. Seems like the one out of the three of them that should be pissed with you is the only one that’s not.” Clint said.   
“Weird that he has an accent and his sisters don’t, though.” Chris said before raising an eyebrow. “May I ask what you’re doing here? You’re retired.”  
“Laura and I moved into the neighborhood about a month ago. Closer to the clinic.” Clint explained.  
“How’s that going?”  
“Could be better, could be worse.” Clint said with a stif shrug. He’d be in physical therapy for a good long time yet after the injuries he’d sustained over a year earlier. After a mountain of paperwork and a few calls, he was granted retirement. It was a rarity for someone in his and Chris’s profession to be granted retirement, but Clint had earned it, and there were those sympathetic to the fact that he had a growing family to keep an eye on. Chris smiled.  
“How’s the family?”  
“Doing well. The boys are settling in nicely, but it’s taking Lila a bit. She’s still angry about the move, misses her friends and the eight different boys she simultaneously had crushes on.”  
“Careful, you’ll have to worry about boys soon.”  
“I’ve been worried about boys ever since they told us we were having a girl.” Clint half-seriously joked. “How’s things for you?”  
“Busy.” Chris said, looking at the ice cubes in his coffee. “Just got back from Australia last month. Been on the road ever since.”  
“Tough break.” Clint said sympathetically. “Hang in there. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a severe injury of some kind that puts you out of commission and get to retire.”  
“You miss it?” Chris asked, looking away from his coffee.  
“Honestly? Not overly. Every now and then, I wish I was still in, and there’s a lot of habits I can’t quite seem to break…But I get to see my kids grow up finally, get to be with Laura. Most of all, I’m done lying to them about where I’m going. It’s a great feeling.”  
“Sounds like it.” Chris said, Clint following his gaze for the umpteenth time during their conversation before looking back at Chris.  
“Thinking of finding out for yourself?” He asked with an amused half-smile. Chris looked at him.  
“I don’t have anyone to retire for.”  
“At the moment.” Clint said, giving the tabletop a light smack with his palm before standing up with his to go cup. “You never know when that could change.”   
“See you, Clint.”  
“Stop around again, it was good to see you.” Clint said as he walked away. Chris wondered for a moment what he’d meant in his last few comments…then it dawned on him when Clint stopped at Tom’s table to chat with the trio for a minute. He’d been watching Tom the whole time, that’s why Clint kept looking over his shoulder, to see what Chris was so focused on. It looked like Clint was familiar with the trio, one of the women standing up to hug him, Tom giving his hand a friendly shake, all four smiling and chatting for a while before Clint excused himself, saying a quick hello to Natasha as she entered the cafe, giving her a one armed hug before going on his way. Chris swore mentally before telling himself that there was no way he was going to keep wandering into the cafe at the same time Tom and his sisters were there. It was too big a coincidence to occur too many more times.

~

Chris sat at his usual table, drinking his iced coffee and eating a pastry. He wasn’t there on business for once, so he could enjoy his sweet treat without fear of ridicule. At the moment, he was watching the short line at the counter, or, more specifically, someone in the line. It had been several more months and he’d started stopping by the shop whenever he had enough free time to manage the trip…so twice since he’d bumped into Clint. Today, it had paid off. Tom stepped up to the counter, this time not flanked by his sibling bodyguards, ordering his drink. Chris smiled to himself when the barista refused his card, Tom looked confused until the barista said something and nodded in Chris’s direction. Tom waved, still looking confused, Chris returning the gesture.  
“You paid for my drink?” Tom asked as he joined Chris at his table once he’d received his steaming hot beverage.  
“I did. Think of it as a ‘sorry’ for spilling mine all over you.” Chris said. Tom gave a short laugh, smiling. It was nice to see, Chris realized.  
“If that’s the logic we’re going by, shouldn’t I be buying you a drink because I made you spill yours?”  
“I guess. You don’t have to, though. The whole thing was my fault, after all.” Chris said, leaning back in his seat again, arm draped over the back of his chair. “Come here a lot?”  
“It’s a nice quiet place to relax and catch up.” Tom said with a nod. “Obviously you’re a fan too or you wouldn’t be here so much.”  
“Oh, I’m a fan of something.” Chris said.  
“The iced coffee, it would seem.” Tom said, still smiling. Chris felt his own smile broaden.   
“And the pastries.”  
“They do have absolutely lovely baked goods here.” Tom agreed.  
“I noticed your sisters aren’t here today.”  
“Oh, no, unlike me they have jobs that require daily attendance.” Tom said easily.  
“You don’t work?”  
“I’m a freelance jack-of-several-trades. My schedule is what I want it to be, essentially.” Tom explained. “What about you? Don’t you have a job that hanging out here gets in the way of?”  
“I mostly travel for work.” Chris explained.  
“Like a delivery or trucking job?” Tom asked, Chris nodded.  
“Import, export and transportation sort of things. Keeps me on the move. I normally only stop here when I know someone I know will be around to chat with.”  
“Yes, Clint mentioned knowing you from work.” Tom said. “He talked you up a bit, if I’m being honest with you.”  
“Oh, lord…” Chris muttered. “What did he say?”  
“That you’re not nearly as air headed and clumsy as our first interaction might have made you seem.” Tom said, laughing quietly at the look on Chris’s face. “He says you’re a good man.”  
“That’s it?” Chris asked, relief clear on his face.  
“Well, there were a few more things…” Tom pulled a torn bit of paper out of his coat pocket and handed it to Chris. “Like you might want this the next time we see eachother.”   
“What is…wait, what else?”  
“That you’re a romantic and that you would probably start trying to woo me in the near future.” Tom said, an amused smile on his face as he stood up. “Drop me a line next time you’re around.”  
“Wait, I-“ Tom walked away with his drink, leaving the cafe with one last look over his shoulder at Chris. “Oh, boy…” He looked down at the slip of paper, unfolding it and reading what was on it…A phone number and Tom’s name. “Oh, boy.” Chris said with a smile, relaxing back again, pulling out his phone.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I have a confession to make about the glasses on Tom in this story, I had a really adorable visual picture of Loki wearing glasses and decided it needed to happen...as a side note, Tom Hiddleston also looks damn good with the things on his face so that could be why that looked so good in my head...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More 'setting the scene' sort of stuff. I swear there'll be some movement soon. Also, I apologize if anything I write seems to get a bit...wordy. I do alot of writing late at night and my daytime meds have long since worn off by then. So, exactly like right now. I do my best to try to correct it later, I swear. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Tom stood at the counter, ordering his drink, reaching for his wallet when a hand closed over his shoulder, making him jump and look to the side, smiling with relief when he noticed who it was. Chris gave him a small smile before handing the barista some cash and adding his usual iced coffee to the order.  
“Hello again, stranger.” Tom said, Chris’s smile broadened.  
“Hello again. Care to join me at my usual table?”  
“I would love to.”

~

“So, Thor…”  
“…Yes, Widow?”  
“You seeing anyone?”  
“If that’s your opener to asking me on a date, just stop there.”  
“No, you clod, it’s a legitimate question.” Natasha snapped. The pair was in the back of a jeep escorting some very important boxes to some very important people in a very dangerous location. A day in the life, mostly.  
“Why’s my love life matter to you?” Chris asked, slightly defensively.  
“Well, for one thing, because I was under the impression we were friends and friends share those kinds of things with eachother.” Natasha said, “And for another, there’s rumors you’re seeing someone.”  
“God damn it all.” Chris muttered angrily. “How do they even-nevermind. No, I’m not seeing anyone.”  
“You sure? You’re getting kind of defensive and you usually do that when you’re hiding-“  
“I’m out on the job most of the time. Who would stick around waiting for me with how often I’m gone?”  
“Laura stuck around.” Natasha pointed out.  
“That’s Laura, though. If I start seeing someone, it’s not going to be Laura.”  
“I’d hope not. He might be retired, but that doesn’t mean Hawk won’t murder you eight times over.”  
“Thanks for that.”

~

“Welcome back.” Tom said cheerily as he sat down across from Chris at their usual cafe. Chris gave him a smile.   
“Good to be back…or at least it is now.”  
“Oh, flattery. Nice.” Tom complimented, still smiling. “How was work?”  
“Eh, long and tiring and I still don’t get paid enough for this bullshit.” Chris said with a sigh. “How about you?”  
“Well, I have a very difficult client right now. She wants me to design something for her, I won’t bore you with the details, but she keeps changing things. I started two month ago and I’ve barely gotten anywhere because she keeps revising everything.” He huffed, dropping his head onto his arms, which were folded on the table. “I get stressed just _thinking_ about it.”  
“Sounds tough.” Chris reached out, patting Tom’s shoulder comfortingly. “So, I’ve got a few days in the area. How about dinner?”  
Tom lifted his head, looking disappointed.  
“Just a few days this time?”  
“Sorry, Tom, I can’t control when the jobs come.” Chris truly was sorry. He knew their relationship, if they even saw eachother enough to justify calling it that, was tough on Tom. He never knew when Chris would be around or when he’d leave and Chris could tell it was wearing on him.  
“I know…” Tom sighed, reaching out, taking Chris’s hand, smiling softly. “I know. Dinner sounds great. Any ideas as to where?”  
“How about the thai place a few blocks down?”  
“Thai sounds wonderful.” Tom said, smile broadening when Chris gave his hand a squeeze. “When should I meet you?”  
“Six sound nice?”  
“It does.”  
“Great…Tom?”  
“Yes?”  
“It’s good to see you again.”  
“It’s good to see you again too.”

~

“Oh my god, Chris!” Tom gasped, staring wide eyed. “What happened to your hair? It’s…gone.”  
“I cut it.” Chris said with a shrug.  
“Yeah, I see that. Why? It looked nice long.” Tom said as he sat down across from Chris at the cafe, looking disappointed.  
“New regulations at work.” Chris said, mind wandering back to his hair getting caught on his pack and almost hanging him when the pack caught on part of the helicopter he was disembarking in Buttfuck Nowhere, Columbia. He’d truly thought it was tied up enough to keep it out of the way…apparently either he was wrong, or Natasha was right and it had gotten longer than he thought. “Sorry if I’m less sexy now.”  
“No, no, don’t worry about that, it’s just…a bit of a surprise.” Tom said. “At least they let you keep the beard.”  
“So do you just like hairy men or am I unique?”  
“Oh shut up.” Tom kicked him playfully under the table, the pair smiling at eachother. “How long are you here for?”  
“Couple weeks.” He thought Tom was about to crawl over the table and kiss him with the look he had on his face.  
“That’s the longest you’ve been able to stay in….ever.” He said happily, all smiles. “You’re sure?”  
“Yup. I’ll mute the phone if they try to call me in early, I swear it.” Chris said, “So, how would you like to spend the time?” His brow furrowed when Tom went quiet, eyes moving about the cafe, but never settling on Chris. “Tom?”  
“About that…”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this…” Chris muttered as they stood on the front step of a large house, Tom looking nervous next to him.  
“He’s been asking for a while, Chris. Please. It’s…important to me.”  
Chris sighed raggedly, he couldn’t say no to Tom, especially not with the look he was getting. The man knew just how to make Chris cave.   
“Alright, ring the bell.” He conceded. Tom smiled, kissing his cheek.  
“Thank you.” He whispered as he rang the doorbell. The door opened a short moment later, Tom beaming at the older man that had opened it. “Da, this is Chris.” He said, gesturing to Chris, who gave his best smile.  
“Hello, Mr. Foster. It’s very nice to meet you.” He said as politely as possible, offering a hand for the man to shake. Mr. Foster stared at the hand for a second, then eyed up Chris a few times before glancing at the anxious look on Tom’s face and taking the offered hand, giving it a firm shake.  
“Nice to finally meet you, Chris. Come on in.”

“I think he hates me.” Chris said as they crossed the street to Tom’s house.  
“He doesn’t hate you.” Tom said, fishing his keys out of his pocket. “He just needs to get to know you better.”  
“He was looking at me like I’m some kind of horrible monster here to defile his precious little snowflake.”   
Tom burst out laughing.  
“He was not! You’re overreacting.” He finally got the door unlocked. “Come in for a bit?”  
“I…Are you sure?” Chris asked, hesitant both because he could still see the disapproving look Tom’s father had given him the entire time he was there, and because this was the first time Tom had invited him in.  
“Yes. Why?”  
“This is just…a first.” He had no idea why this time was different for him, he’d had ‘relationships’ before, a girl in every nook and cranny of the planet sort of thing. Not once had he questioned the request for company…until Tom. He wasn’t sure if it was because Tom was male, the most obscenely nice, innocent person Chris had ever come across, or if he’d finally struck gold and was trying not to ruin it. All were possibilities, really.   
“Someone inviting you inside their house?” Tom seemed perplexed…then a sad realization crossed his face. “Oh. Oh, that’s…we’re not…doing anything, I just thought you might want a break after all that.”  
Chris was only confused for a second, then he realized why Tom looked so hurt, panicking instantly.  
“Oh, god, Tom, no! No, that’s not it, it’s-it’s really not.” He tilted Tom’s face up to meet his, kissing him full on the lips, holding the kiss until Tom finally relaxed into it. “Let’s go inside, no point in hanging out here and giving the neighbors a show.”  
“Y-Yes, I agree.” Tom stammered, stepping inside, red faced. Chris grinned at the woman peeking out her front door at them, giving her a thumbs up before going inside. He slid his coat off, hanging it up by the door, where Tom had hung his.  
“Tom?”  
“Kitchen! I’ll be right out!”  
“Ok.” Chris stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking around the room and taking in the place. Tom’s place. Tom’s home. It was a simple place with mismatched furniture, a plaid, overstuffed couch, an old recliner with a beat up little table next to it and a lamp behind it. Two tables on either end of the couch seemed to be the only things in the room that matched at all. The long, low coffee table in front of the couch looked as old and worn as the table by the recliner, a small entertainment center sat against the wall in front of the front window, a tv and several game systems and a cable box set up on it. over on the end of the room farthest from the door was a rather pricy, professional computer setup, complete with a small filing cabinet, printer/scanner/fax machine hybrid, and loose papers and notebooks. Tom’s workstation, obviously. He stopped by a china cabinet that only held a few trinkets that he could only guess had sentimental value to Tom…then he noticed it, the ceramic statue he’d brought back on a whim from one of his jobs and given to Tom as a gift. He looked closer and noticed the other few gifts he’d given Tom, on their own shelf right in the middle of the thing.  
“Sorry that took so long, I was, honestly, not sure what I had to offer for drinks.” Tom said as he finally entered the room from the kitchen, carrying a bottle and a glass of water. “Here, give this a try.”  
“Hard cider?” Chris raised an eyebrow as he took the bottle from Tom.  
“It is literally all I have aside from apple juice, tea, milk, and water. Take it or leave it.”  
“Alright, alright.” Chris said, leaning in and kissing Tom again, loving the blush that instantly returned to his cheeks. “Thank you.”  
“You’re welcome…” Tom muttered, looking away.  
“You alright?” Chris asked, Tom suddenly seemed unsure.  
“Yeah…Yes, I’m fine, this is just…Can I tell you something without you judging or laughing at me?”  
“Sure.”  
“You’re…the first person I’ve ever dated.”  
“Wait…I’m what?” Chris wasn’t sure he’d heard right. Tom adjusted his glasses, still avoiding looking at Chris.  
“I’ve never been romantically involved with anyone before. Everything we’ve done…it’s all firsts for me.”  
“No way.” Chris was both shocked and not surprised at all. Tom was not an unattractive man, not by any stretch of the imagination. The fact that he was the first relationship someone with Tom's looks was something he was having some issues wrapping his head around…and, at the same time, he doubted the guard dogs that were Tom’s sisters would let just anyone near their precious little brother. Which begged the question why had they let him.  
“I never really…found anyone that piqued my interest, and, well, you’ve met my sisters. Showing interest in me can be a dangerous thing.”  
“Why the hell’d they let the guy that knocked you over and covered you in coffee date you?”  
“I asked them to. I asked them to let you have a shot.”  
“Why?”  
“Because I…You were…I’m not sure…” Tom fumbled for words, blushing deeply and adjusting his glasses again, a nervous habit it seemed. “I guess I just…well…”  
“I piqued your interest.” Chris filled in the blanks for Tom, smiling as the smaller man nodded. “I’m glad.”  
“You are?” Tom finally looked at him, glasses sliding down his nose a bit before he quickly pushed them back up.  
“Yeah.”   
“W-Why?”  
“Really?” Chris almost laughed at the tone of voice Tom had used, but remembered he’d promised to avoid laughing at the conversation in any way. “Because you’re amazing. You are effortlessly kind and accepting and patient, you’re gorgeous, you’re just…you’re…” Now he had to stop and think a bit as he realized something, fully and completely. Something that hadn’t occurred to him at all until then. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He said finally. Tom stared for a moment before taking a step forward, kissing Chris again, gently, cautiously. “You are just too precious.” Chris said, pulling Tom close, holding him gently. “Tommy?”  
“Y-Yes?”  
“I think I love you.”  
He couldn’t see it from the position they were standing in, but Tom was smiling now. Broadly, happily, serenely.  
“I think I love you too.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, does anyone else have this problem where they push the space bar a letter or two too late? Cos I'm goin through this and noticing a lot of tot he's popping up where I could have sworn I typed to the. 
> 
> ...This is probably the kind of stuff I should be putting in the notes, instead of the summary, isn't it? 
> 
> Ok, some development happens. Honestly, I like doing build up with my stories, I really do...But not too much. This wasn't supposed to be quite as 'slice of life'y as it is turning out to be.
> 
> Wow, early morning/late night me is really overcritical of myself.

“Alright, spill it.”   
“Spill what?” Chris asked irritably, looking away from packing to give Natasha and Sam his full attention. They’d been whispering for a while now and had apparently, finally decided to bring him in on things.  
“Who is it?” Sam asked.   
“What?” Chris’s eyes narrowed.  
“You’re seeing someone.” Natasha said, Chris rolled his eyes.  
“This again?”  
“Yes, this again.” Natasha said firmly. “No more lying, Thor, you know you won’t be able to keep it up forever.”  
“Well, then, I’ll keep it up for as long as I can.” Chris said. He didn’t know why Natasha was so caught up on him being in a relationship, but he certainly wasn’t going to let her find out about Tom. Clint had gotten lucky in that he’d met Laura on a job. She’d been an unwitting participant, but it had been enough of a foothold for him to get the relationship approved. Tom, on the other hand, was just a civilian with no connection to the world Chris and his companions lived in. Hiding him was a bad idea and the best course of action at the same time. If their superiors found out he’d started to dedicatedly see someone, as opposed to his flings in the past, they’d order him to end it…and would probably end it for him if he refused, depending on how much Tom knew about what Chris did for a living. If he was the reason Tom got hurt, he’d never forgive himself. Chris spent so much time doing other people’s dirty work, crawling about in the dark, he needed Tom, his connection to the light, the only clean thing in his life. As long as Tom was an innocent, Chris would deny he existed no matter who asked. It was the only way he could keep him.

~

Tom opened the door to find Chris standing there, a duflebag over his shoulder and a slightly ashamed look on his face.  
“Chris?” Tom looked properly confused. They’d never met at Tom’s house before. The time of day was a bit odd too, Tom had been in the process of getting ready for bed when he’d heard the doorbell.  
“Yeah…can I come in?”  
“Um, yes, yes, of course.” Tom moved aside, “Come in.” He closed the door behind Chris. “Can I take your bag or…”  
“No, it’s ok.” Chris said. “I…might not be here long.”  
“…Chris is something wrong?” Tom looked concerned now, Chris mentally cursed. His nerves were making him handle this very poorly. “Are you alright?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry. I just…look, I was supposed to have a room at a local motel, but they, uh, gave it to someone else and now I kind of have nowhere to go.”  
“I see.” Tom’s expression had evened out, but he still seemed unsure.  
“I hate to ask this, I really do, but…can I bunk here for the night?”  
“I don’t know, I…”  
“Does me being here make you that nervous?” Chris asked, concerned he’d overstepped some unseen boundary only Tom knew was there.  
“No, that’s not it, I just…”  
“First time having a guest that isn’t family?”  
“Yes, exactly.”  
“I can go.” Chris offered, gesturing to the door. “You don’t have to let me stay.”  
“No, it’s fine. Really.” Tom insisted. “I’m just…being silly. I’ll get the guest room ready.”  
“Tom,” Chris caught his wrist as he started to walk away. “Thanks.”  
Tom smiled finally.  
“You’re welcome.”

~

“It’s been literally over a year since you two started your…whatever this counts as…and you’ve spent most of it waiting on him.” Jane said. The trio was seated at their favorite cafe for one of their regular outings and Tom’s relationship status had come up for debate.  
“It’s a relationship, Jane. We’re in a relationship.”  
“Tommy, relationships take at least two people to count as relationships.” Jane said. “I have no idea what something with 1.5-ish people is, but it’s not a relationship.”  
“He does the best he can. He can’t exactly control when he gets called in.” Tom explained defensively.  
“I’m not trying to make you mad, Tommy, I’m trying to make sure he’s not just bouncing from one person to another whenever he’s looking for a change.”  
“Jane’s right, Tom.” Darcy finally spoke up. “He’s evasive, he’s barely around, and how much do you really know about him? He does a job he’s only vaguely explained, you don’t even know his last name, no idea where he’s from, who his family might be, who his friends are, if he even _has_ friends and family. You don’t know him but he knows an awful lot about you.”  
“I know he makes me happy.” Tom said, holding his ground. “I know he hates his job, I know he hates leaving, and I know he loves me. Those are the things I _know_. It’s all I need right now.”  
Jane and Darcy were silent for a long time, exchanging glances and looking back at Tom.  
“Alright, Tommy.” Jane said finally, “We’ll back off…but I’m kicking a field goal with his balls if he ends out hurting you.”  
“That’s fair.” Tom conceded with an amused smile. He had to give them credit, Jane and Darcy had been very supportive and understanding so far. It must have been very difficult for them to step back and let Chris in, but he was glad they had. 

~

“Are you sure about this?” Chris asked, staring down at the object sitting in the center of Tom’s palm. “This is…Are you sure?”  
“Yes, I am.” Tom said with a nod. “Take it.”  
“I…alright.” Chris agreed finally, reaching out and plucking the key up. “You know this means I can pop in whenever, day or night, rain or shine, announced or otherwise, right?”  
“That’s sort of the point, isn’t it?” Tom asked with a laugh. “We’ve been at this for almost two years, I think it’s about time.”  
“I…thank you, Tom.” Chris said, pulling the smaller man close and hugging him. “Thanks…for trusting me.”  
“You’re welcome.” Tom said with a smile, hugging Chris back, still not fully aware of how monumental his gesture was to Chris. Trust was hard to come by for him, both when it came to trusting and being trusted. Tom, bless him, had just sealed his own fate, he was stuck with Chris now. There was no one and nothing that could pry Chris away from someone that trusted him as completely as Tom seemed to. He’d have to do his best to make sure he was worthy of it.

~

“Tom?” Chris called as he stepped inside. He dropped his travel bag by the door, taking off his shoes. “Tommy?”  
“Please, only Jane calls me Tommy.” Tom said with a laugh as he came out of the kitchen carrying a freshly opened bottle of hard cider and a bowl of cheese balls.   
“God, you’re a saint.” Chris said as he crossed the room in a few long, quick strides, wrapping his arms around Tom’s waist and kissing him. “Miss me?”  
“Always.” Tom said with a smile. Chris stepped back, taking the bottle and bowl, setting them down on the small table by the chair he favored before stepping back over to Tom, pulling him close again. “No snacks and relaxing?”  
“I had a different kind of snack in mind, actually…” Chris said, a devious smile on his face, Tom blushed slightly.   
“Oh?”  
“Oh yes.” Chris said, easing Tom up against a wall, leaning in close. “It’s been way, way too long.”  
“I agree, but we are not doing this here. The curtains are open over there and the girls that live in that house like to peak in when they think I’m not looking.”  
“Do I need to talk to them?”  
“No, I just need to remember to close the curtains more often.” Tom said. He was probably the most forgiving, kind person Chris had ever met and his sweet personality and natural innocence was something Chris cherished more than anything else. Tom was, to him, pure. And somehow, even with Chris’s sullied hands touching him every chance they got, he remained pure. Chris had told himself early on that he would do literally anything to keep him that way. Tom was the good in his life amongst all the bad and questionable and amoral. He never planned on telling Jane and Darcy that he now had absolutely no regrets about knocking over their brother and spilling coffee all over him. One thing he’d learned was that Darcy had a mean right hook and Jane was a force to be reckoned with…he’d also learned Tom was adopted and Jane and Darcy were stepsisters. Which explained a bit.  
“If you say so.”  
“I do. Now, upstairs?” Tom asked, giving Chris his most charming smile and squeaking in surprise when he was hoisted up by his thighs, quickly wrapping his long legs around Chris’s waist and his arms around Chris’s neck.   
“Yes, sir.” Chris said with a grin, carrying his lover up the stairs while kissing him absently. This was easily one of his favorite parts about coming home.

“Looks like a boomerang.” Tom said quietly, tracing a scar on Chris’s chest.  
“You say that every time you happen to notice it.” Chris said, arms folded behind his head, Tom cuddled up next to him. “Ah, this is the best ‘welcome home’ gift I could ever get.”  
“You say that every time we do this.” Tom said. Chris glanced down at him.  
“Did you think about what I said before I left?”  
“…I don’t know, Chris…It’s just…This is my home.” Tom said quietly, moving his fingers to yet another scar, tracing around it lightly. “Moving so far away, It just…”  
“You don’t need to decide any time soon.” Chris assured him. “I just…thought we could make a fresh start, as us…you know?”  
“I know.” Tom assured him. “I’ll give it some more thought.”  
“That’s all I ask.” Chris shifted, wrapping an arm around Tom and pulling him closer. “I don’t leave again for a while, how about we go out somewhere? Just the two of us, an actual date. Haven’t been on one of those in a while.”  
“I like that idea.” Tom said, finally smiling again as he looked up at Chris. “Did you have someplace in mind?”  
“Well, I noticed a sign outside the museum advertising an exhibit on Shakespeare, but I don’t know if-“ Tom pushed himself up so he was sitting on his feet, staring down at Chris with wide eyes. “Oh, you _are_ interested?”  
“Of course I am, you-“ He leaned down quickly, kissing Chris deeply. “It’d be perfect.”  
“Will I get this enthusiastic a response if I offer to take you again later?” Chris asked, wrapping both arms around Tom as the smaller man crawled atop him.  
“Probably not. Enjoy it while you’ve got it.” Tom said with an ear to ear smile.  
“Oh, I plan to.” Chris assured him, pulling Tom down into another kiss, rolling them so he was on top. Tom didn’t often initiate in bed, he was pliant and subdued most times. The sudden excitement was a nice switch and he planned on taking full advantage of it while he had the chance.

~

“The museum’s a date?” Darcy asked as she, Jane, and Tom sat in their usual cafe having lunch.   
“Yes, it is.”  
“For nerds like Tommy anyway.” Jane said, giving her brother a light smack on the arm.   
“Don’t knock being cultured until you try it.” Tom teased.  
“Oh, funny man here.” Jane joked.  
“Excuse me?”  
The siblings looked up when they heard a man’s voice. A handsome blonde man stood there, holding a slip of paper and smiling apologetically.   
“Um…whoa.” Darcy whispered. Jane nodded.  
“Can we help you?” Tom asked.  
“I hope so. I’m looking for this address. I know it’s nearby but I’m a bit turned around.” He said, holding the paper out to them. Tom reached across the table and took the paper, looking at the address then at the man.   
“Well, you’re close. There’s a park about three blocks that way, head there and follow the path around the edge, it’s the quickest way to the right street. The building you’re looking for is about four blocks down to the left after that.”  
“Thanks. Uh…”  
“Tom.”  
“Tom. I’m Steve.” The blonde said with a nod. “Thanks for the help.”  
“Of course.” Tom said with a smile. Steve headed for the door, looking down at the paper again as he did so.  
“Really hope he’s moving in…” Jane muttered, Darcy nodded.  
“God, we’re lonely.” She said after a moment. “Well, two of us are anyway.”  
“Yeah, Tommy here scored big time on the hot guy front and we’re still digging for diamonds.”  
“I’ll settle for Cubic Zirconium at this point, if I’m being perfectly honest.” Darcy said. “Or even just a really pretty rock.”  
“Darcy, gems _are_ really pretty rocks.” Tom said. “And I just got lucky, that’s all.”  
“Who’d have thought running into someone and having coffee spilled all over you was lucky.” Jane said. “Maybe we should try it.”  
“I doubt it works every time, Jane.” Tom said, worried one of them might actually follow through with it.  
“Never know till you try, Tommy. Never know till you try.”  
“Oh dear…”

“Wonder if that guy found his way or not.” Darcy said as they walked down the street towards home. Jane shrugged.  
“I’ll happily help him out if he hasn’t.”  
“Anything to earn point.” Darcy added with a grin, Jane mirroring it.  
“Yup.”  
“Girls, you’re starting to worry me…” Tom said, stumbling when someone shoved past him going the other way.  
“Geez, rude.” Darcy muttered. “You ok?”  
“I’m fine, I won’t break into pieces just from a bump to the arm.” Tom said as they watched the man continue on his way. “When did people get so rude?”  
“They’ve always been rude, you’re just too much of a sweetheart to be cruel to…usually away.” Jane said.  
“I’m not that-“  
“Yes you are.” Darcy and Jane said in unison. Tom looked between them, surprise and confusion clear on his face.   
“So,” Jane said as they started walking again, “how are things with Chris? Tired of spending a majority of your relationship alone yet?”  
“Geez, Jane, don’t go easy on him or anything.” Darcy said.  
“I’m perfectly happy with him. I’m used to being alone for long periods of time, remember?”  
“True.” Jane said. Tom’s parents and Jane’s parents had been friends while the pair were very young. When Jane’s mother died, her father remarried, complete with a new sister only a few months younger than Jane. The trio had gotten on well, thick as thieves from the get-go. Whenever Tom’s parents left on business, Jane’s father would make sure he was alright, but mostly the boy stayed in his empty house fending for himself. He was intelligent and resourceful, lucky to have parents that made sure the house was well stocked before leaving their son, so problems almost never arose. Darcy and Jane spent a great deal of time with him, watching tv and playing games. When Tom’s parents had died, Jane’s father had offered to take him in, CPS had other ideas and he was put into foster care until a family member could be found. When none were, they finally gave in and Tom was brought back and officially adopted by Jane’s family. Something had changed, though, while he’d been gone. He came back quieter and more subdued, sporting some scars in various spots, but his kind, gentle personality remained the same. They hadn’t asked and he hadn’t mentioned anything, just that he was glad to be home. Darcy and Jane had taken to the ‘older sister’ role like fish to water and, apart from the fact that Tom spoke with an accent, no one would have known he was a new arrival in the family. Now they walked towards home, Tom between the two of them, chatting happily, the past buried in a deep grave, forgotten apart from the few times Tom managed to notice one of the scars.   
“This is my stop, I’m afraid.” Tom said as they stopped in front of his house, the one he’d grown up in, the one that had been willed to him by his parents.   
“Alright. You know where we’ll be.” Jane said as she and Darcy kept on their way, crossing the street and entering the house a few houses down from Tom’s. Tom pulled out his keys, stepping up to unlock the front door.  
“Pardon me, sir.”  
“Yes?” He looked towards the voice, the man that had bumped into him earlier was standing there, hands buried in his pockets. The man stood eyeing him up for a moment, Tom slowly moving the key towards the lock, almost to the door when the man advanced a few steps making him freeze like he was hoping the man’s eyes worked like a T-Rex’s from the Jurassic Park movie.  
“Just wanted to say sorry for earlier.” The man said, Tom relaxing a bit.  
“It’s fine, no harm done.” He assured the man, turning to unlock the door again, jolting when someone grabbed his arm. “What are-“ He gasped loudly when he noticed the man was brandishing a knife. “I don’t have any cards, only a few dollars.” He said quickly.   
“I’m not here for money.” The man said as he pushed the blade up against the back of Tom’s neck. “Open the door.”  
“But-“  
“Open it!”  
“Alright, alright!” Tom quickly unlocked the door, opening it, stumbling and barely catching himself as he was shoved through the door. The man grabbed him again, shoving him against the closest wall, knife against his cheek.  
“Where is it?”  
“Where…Where is what?” Tom stammered, eyes wide.  
“You know what.”  
“No, I don’t know, I swear, please-“  
“Where is the code?!”  
“Over here.” A third voice said, the man and Tom both looking off to the side, Tom giving a quiet cry as the man was punched hard enough to send him flying backwards a ways, the knife clattering to the ground. He stared down at it for a moment before someone grabbed him and pulled him further into the house.  
“Please, I don’t-“ He stopped short when he finally realized who was holding him. “Chris…”  
“You alright?”  
“Yes…yes, I think so.” He lasted a second longer before latching on to Chris, shaking lightly. “I’m not. I am very much not alright.” He said, voice wavering a bit. Chris hugged him tightly.  
“It’s ok. You’re safe, I promise. I promise, no one’s going to hurt you, Tom, I swear it.” He whispered soothingly, keeping his lover close against him as he glanced over at the man unconscious, and hopefully not dead, on the floor. “I promise, I’ll keep you safe.”

Darcy and Jane rushed into the house the second the door was open.  
“Tom!”   
“Tommy!”   
“I’m fine, I’m alright.” Tom assured them as they both hugged him tightly. Jane’s father and stepmother walked in after them, her father stopping by Chris as her stepmother joined her and Darcy by Tom.  
“You want to tell me what happened here?” He asked. He’d been suspicious of Chris from the get-go, but he made Tom happy and that was what mattered to him.  
“Honestly? I’m not entirely sure. He went out with Jane and Darcy and suddenly I come out of the kitchen and that unfortunate fuck back there has a knife to him.” He said, nodding to the man out cold on the floor. He’d started to wake so Chris, despite Tom’s protests, had hit him again. Possibly more than necessary but that, in the end, was a matter of opinion, really.   
“…Chris, he could have been hurt, or worse, so I need you to be honest with me. Do you know that man? Is this in any way related to anything you might have brought into Tom’s life?”  
“No, sir, it is not. Tom’s…” He and Tom’s adoptive father both looked at Tom, who had Darcy, Jane, and Jane’s stepmother fussing over him and just kept the same smile on his face as he repeatedly reassured them that he was alright. He noticed the pair looking at him and gave a brief nod in their direction. Chris smiled, raising his hand in a quick wave, watching Tom noticeably relax after the gesture. “He’s the only good thing in my life, and I love him. I’d never put him at risk.”  
“Tom’s family to me. His parents were good friends of mine and my girls think of him as their brother. If anything happens to him…”  
“Sir,” Chris met the man’s gaze, stone faced and serious. “I would rather die than hurt him, and I would kill to protect him. I promise you, I will keep him safe, and as far from danger as I possibly can. You have my word on that. He is the only thing in this world that truly matters to me and I’ll do anything to keep from losing him.”  
“I was hoping for an answer like that.” He gave Chris’s shoulder a firm pat. “I’m trusting you with him. If this happens again, though…”  
“It won’t. That, I can assure you.”  
“Good, good…Here comes the police finally.”  
“Off the floor, jackass.” Chris snapped harshly, giving the man on the floor a light kick, waking him from his stupor. He muttered something unintelligible, trying to sit up, cursing when Chris yanked him to his feet. Several patrol cars parked in front of the house, along with an ambulance. Chris shoved the man out of the house, forcing him over by the officers getting out of the cars.  
“Damn, picked the wrong house to rob…” One officer muttered, taking in the damage done to the man’s face, he looked like someone had taken a bat to him.   
“Get him out of here before I break something else, please.” Chris said, leaving the man standing there in stupor and heading back inside. 


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little shorter, mostly because good spots to end chapters have been hard to find and i found the perfect one.
> 
> Holy crap, more development and less scene setting. things will start to move along a bit more now, I promise.

After a while of questioning Tom and making sure he was unhurt, the officers backed off. Chris stood off to the side, letting Tom’s family have him for this.  
“Something to say to me?” He asked, turning to look at the blond woman standing next to him.  
“Just a few questions, if you’re agreeable, Mr…”  
“Odinson. Christopher Odinson.”  
Mr. Odinson. Got time for a few questions?” She asked. She wasn’t wearing a uniform, but she did show him a badge, which he took from her and examined himself before giving it back.  
“Alright.”  
“What’s your relation to Mr. Foster?”  
“We’re romantically involved.”  
“Ah, the hot ones always are.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Nothing, never mind. Mr. Foster told my officers that the man was looking for a code. Do you know anything about that?”  
“No, no idea.”  
“And you’re certain Mr. Foster has no idea what this is about?”  
“Yes, positive. Tom does freelance computer work. Writing, editing, some design, that sort of thing. He wouldn’t have anything interesting to someone that’s not a client. I don’t know what the guy was talking about, but I can assure you, Tom’s clean, there’s nothing here.”  
“And your occupation?”  
“Transport and import/export for a private company. I’m away a lot.”  
“So it’s possible the man thought the house was empty aside from Mr. Foster…” She’d been writing as he spoke. “How often are you gone?”  
“Fairly often. I spend more time gone than here, unfortunately.” Chris was ashamed of that fact even more so now. What if he hadn’t been there? What would he have come back to? Tom dead? Gone? He buried that train of thought for the moment, talking to the detective.  
“I’d recommend taking some time off, to establish your presence here, incase it’s become a well-known thing amongst the wrong people that you’re gone a lot and it’s just him here.” She said. “I’m not trying to sound rude at all but…he doesn’t look like he’s got a lot of experience in self defense.”  
“I’ll see about the time off. If he’s not safe alone, I’m not leaving.” Chris said.  
“Good to hear. I somehow don’t think anyone else will come around, at least not for a while, but better safe than…”  
“I agree…” Chris said with a small nod.  
“Detective Danvers?” And officer joined them. “The family is asking if we’re finished here.”  
“In a minute. I want to talk to the victim first.”  
“Yes, ma’am.” The officer said, returning to inform Tom and his family. As Chris figured she would, Jane put up a verbal fight, only quieted when Tom and her father got involved.  
“Looks like I should get this over with quick…”  
“Yes, I can assure you, his sisters will make everyone miserable if he’s inconvenienced too much longer.” Chris said with a smile.  
“Great, pushy family…”  
“Protective. Tom’s the gentle type, won’t rock the boat, won’t make a fuss or retaliate, so they do it for him.”  
“I see. Wish there were more like him out there.”  
“The world would be a better place.” Chris said, starting over towards Tom. “Tom, the detective would like to talk to you. You up for it?”  
“Not more questions.” Jane’s stepmother said, “Can’t they wait? He’s had a massive scare, he should be relaxing.”  
“It’s fine, really. They have a job to do, I won’t make it difficult for them.” Tom said, cutting off any further argument by his family.  
“Thank you, Mr. Foster.” Detective Danvers said with a smile that didn’t seem to placate Tom’s sisters any. “I’ll be brief. You say he followed you home?”  
“Yes, we-I, more specifically, bumped into him while we were walking home-“  
“We?”  
“The three of us went out for an evening stroll to our favorite cafe nearby.” Jane said, gesturing to herself, Tom and Darcy. “We were almost home when the guy bumped into Tommy.”  
“Is that how you recall things, Mr. Foster?”  
“Yes, that’s exactly how it went.” Tom said with a nod. “I arrived home, Darcy and Jane went inside and I was about to unlock the door when he approached me. He apologized for bumping into me and then grabbed me and pulled out a knife.”  
“Then forced you inside, where he was subdued by Mr. Odinson?”  
“Yes.”  
“And he only asked for a code? Nothing about valuables or money, pills, anything?”  
“Nothing. He even said he wasn’t here for money. He just demanded a code.”  
“And you have no idea what he was talking about?”  
“No, not at all. I don’t dabble in anything important enough to warrant the threat of bodily harm.” Tom said, the detective gave a nod, looking thoughtful.  
“Is there a number I can reach you by if anything else comes up?”  
“Yes, hold on, I’ll go write it down.”  
“No, no, you stay put. Here.” She handed him her notebook and pen. “Just write your name and your number. I’ve got your address.”  
“Alright…”  
“Thank you.” She took the notebook and pen back when he was done, pocketing both. “Take care of yourself.”   
Chris followed her out.  
“Danvers!” She stopped, turning to look at him.   
“Had I known you were living here, I’d have just contacted you from the get-go.” She said quietly.   
“Somehow, I don’t believe that you were completely unaware. What the hell’s going on?”  
“Look, Chris, I can’t talk about it at this point.”  
“A man with knife just assaulted my boyfriend and demanded information about a code. What the fuck is going on? Now, Danvers.” Chris said firmly. She sighed and stepped closer, the two leaning into eachother.  
“They assigned me here because the RedS are supposedly moving in.”  
“To suburbia?”  
“I just do what I’m told, Chris. The guy that went after your bedroom buddy might be connected somehow, or he might be a crazy druggy mid psychotic break when you knocked him out. I don’t know yet.”  
“He seems too brash to be one of theirs, though.”  
“Like I said, I don’t know yet. I’ll do my best to keep you informed but you know how they can be.”  
“Yeah, yeah. Danvers, is he in danger here? Can you at least tell me that? Should I be trying to convince him to go on an extended vacation or is it alright to continue on as we have been?”  
“I don’t know, Chris. It’s possible I guess. I’ll give you a heads up if he might be in trouble, that I can promise you.”  
“Thank you, Danvers.”  
“No problem. Oh, and, Chris.”  
“What?”  
“You have damn good taste, oh my goodness.” She said with a big grin. Chris laughed.  
“Yeah, I do. I really do.”

~

“So, how are you doing?” Darcy asked. The siblings were back in their favorite cafe, it had been a few days since the incident and Tom was going stir crazy, having been cooped up since then. Chris had suggested the outing and none of them had objected.  
“Better.” Tom said, “I’m glad Chris is sticking around for a while, It’s…nice to have someone there.”  
“I’ll bet.” Darcy agreed.  
“What about when he leaves?” Jane asked. “He’s going to at some point. Duty, whatever that may be, will call and he will answer.”  
“I don’t know…He was trying to talk me into learning how to use a gun or how to fight.”  
“You turned him down, didn’t you?”  
“Very much so. I just…I don’t like guns, and I don’t want to hurt anyone.”   
Jane reached out, giving his shoulder a squeeze.  
“You, my dear, sweet little brother, are an angel, and it is both absolutely adorable and a detriment to your physical well-being.”  
“Excuse me.” The trio looked up to find a young woman standing there. “Are you three the Foster siblings?”  
“Um…”  
“What if we are?”  
“Who’s asking?”  
“Wow…I’m a friend of Clint’s. He mentioned you a few times in conversation. You three fit the descriptions he gave me and I just…thought I’d say hello.”  
“Oh. Sorry, um…Miss…”  
“Just call me Scarlett.” The woman said with a smile. “I know Clint from work, we’ve been friends for years now.”  
“It’s nice to meet you. Would you like to have a seat or have we scared you off?” Tom said, gesturing to an empty place at the table.  
“Oh, no, I’m just stopping for some coffee before I start a bit of a road trip, I can’t dawdle long.” Scarlett said with an apologetic smile.  
“Of course.”  
“Sorry again for our responses, please don’t tell Clint. He does that thing with his eyebrows when he gets mad at us. You know the thing.” Darcy said, gesturing by her eyebrows as she said this.  
“Oh, lord, I know! I had no idea someone could look that finished with existence based solely off how their eyebrows look.”  
“I know, really!” Darcy agreed, the group laughing a bit.  
“Well, I should get going.” Scarlett said. “It was nice to meet you three.”  
“Likewise.” Jane said with a smile.  
“Nice lady.” Darcy said as Scarlett got in line to buy coffee.  
“Mhm.” Jane agreed with a nod.

Natasha glanced over he shoulder at the trio back to chatting. Unsure of what to make of them. Carol had let slip the last time the two had gotten to chatting that she’d met Chris while on the job, at the scene of a break in, with his boyfriend. She eyed up Tom a bit. He fit the description she’d coaxed out of Carol, but Natasha still had her reservations. He didn’t seem like Chris’s type, but then again, she had no idea what Chris liked in a man. She’d seen him wooing women in their spare time, but never a man…and she could have sworn that was the guy Chris had sent sprawling on his ass the first time they met. She stepped up to the counter, shrugging it off for a moment. She’d only been in town to see Clint, Chris and his love life could wait.

~

Chris jolted awake, there was movement next to him. He sat up quickly, looking for the source, finding Tom shifting restlessly in his sleep. Another nightmare. He’d had them the past few nights, since the incident had occurred.   
“Tom,” He whispered, gently shaking Tom’s shoulder, trying to wake him. “Tommy, wake up, it’s just a nightmare.” Tom whimpered quietly and that was the last straw. Chris hated that noise, he hated the idea of Tom being that scared. “Tom!” He gave Tom a few stronger shakes, holding both shoulders as he did so this time. Tom finally opened his eyes, laying still, panting and wide eyed.  
“Ch-Chris?”  
“Yeah.” Chris said with a small nod as he dropped his hold on Tom’s shoulders. “Yeah, it’s me. You ok?”  
“I-I think so.” Tom said, hugging himself, hair wild, eyes still full of fear and confusion.  
“Come here.” Chris said, settling back in and lifting his arm. Tom quickly scooted over and took his place huddled up against Chris, who held him close, smoothing his hair down and kissing him gently, staying awake until Tom’s breathing evened out and he was sure the other man was a sleep. He lay there for a long moment, staring at the ceiling, thinking things he never thought he’d think, things that would make a lot of people unhappy…things that didn’t necessarily _need_ to be decided tonight. He still had about a week until they’d call him again. He glanced at the phone on his bedside table, the screen was lit up, someone was contacting him. He sighed, reaching out and grabbing it, answering it without looking at who it was. It didn’t matter who was on the other end, the message would be the same. “What?” He spoke quietly, trying not to wake Tom.  
 _“Did I wake you?”_  
“No. What is it?” Chris asked, already knowing the answer. There was only one reason anyone ever called him.  
 _“We need you to come in.”_  
“I still have a week of R&R left.”  
 _“Not anymore. We need people quick.”_  
“Fine, I’ll-“ He stopped when he automatically began to try to leave the bed, he’d almost forgotten about Tom. He looked down at his lover’s sleeping face. He finally looked at peace, nestled against Chris’s side, all but sharing a pillow with him. “…Look, I’ll come in, but at the end of my R&R period. Not before. Get somebody else.”  
 _“You’re the best we’ve got.”_  
“Then train people better.”  
 _“This hasn’t been a problem before. Are you alright?”_  
“Yes.” Chris snapped, if they thought something was wrong, they’d start looking into things, if they did that then there was no way Tom would stay a secret. “I’m just pissed that I’m your go-to so much so I can’t even get some goddam downtime.”  
“Chris?”  
“Fuck.” Chris looked down, Tom was looking up at him bleary eyed and confused. “Hey. How ya doing?”  
“Better…Who are you talking to?”  
“No one, love, no one. Go back to sleep. You need the rest.” Tom gave him a tired smile and settled back in.  
 _“Thor?”_ The voice on the other end of the phone spoke up again. _“Thor, are you there?”_  
“Yeah but I won’t be at the pickup location. I’m getting my fucking downtime. Talk to Widow or Cap or something.”  
 _“Widow is already on board and Cap is already there.”_  
“Figures…” Chris groaned. He didn’t want to leave Tom, not so suddenly, not in the middle of the night, and not when they weren’t even sure if it was safe for him to be alone. “Look-“  
 _“Would you like a moment to ask whoever’s in the room with you for permission?”_  
“…What?”  
 _“I just heard you talking to someone. You called them love.”_  
“I’ve got…a…pay by the hour friend over. It’s nothing.” He said it as cool as he could and desperately hoped it sounded believable.   
_“Listen, we need you on this. Just sneak out, leave the money by the door, and get to the pickup spot.”_  
Chris was looking down at Tom, mind blinking between his serene expression while he slept, safe with Chris holding him close, and the look of fear he’d had that day. The image of him pinned to the wall with a knife to his face had been rather reluctant to start fading and the ‘what if’s tended to be rather noisy. Tom was too kind to hurt anyone, even in self-defense. He was too docile to put up a fight or make a commotion if someone took him by surprise. He was too trusting and empathetic to not open the door for someone asking for help, whether they really needed it or not. He was afraid of using a gun, hated the idea of having to fight and hurt another living thing, he would be overpowered easily if someone really wanted to do so. He would be abducted just as easily. Held somewhere, sold, traded, tortured…killed. He was unharmed because Chris happened to be there that day. Things could have easily gone so very much worse had Tom been alone. He’d have been hurt, left for dead, outright killed, things that made Chris’s blood run cold and his hold on the slender body next to him tighten unconsciously. If he left, he could lose Tom. He could lose the only light in his life. It gave him an answer to the questions he’d been asking himself earlier, a resolution to his dilemma. He was decided. If it was a choice between Tom and the job, he’d made his decision.  
“I quit.” He said. Silence reigned for a long couple moments before the voice on the phone spoke again.  
 _“Not funny.”_  
“Good, it wasn’t a joke.”  
 _“Thor, you can’t just-“_  
“I can. I am. I quit. I’m done. I’m out.”  
 _“You can’t-“_  
He hung up, opening the drawer of his bedside table and dropping the phone in it before closing it. He’d have to answer for that later, but right now, none of that mattered. Right now, he was rolling over to hold Tom with both arms, keeping him close, gently kissing his hair and breathing in his scent. Right now, it was time to sleep. So, sleep he did.

~

“You _what_?!” Tom cried. Chris cringed. “Chris, you-Why would-How could-You can’t just-“ Tom kept going, trying to find an end to whatever sentence he was attempting to say.  
“Look, Tom, what’s done is done, and I’m not going to attempt to smooth things over and get my job back. I’ll find a new one.”  
“That’s not the-Why, Chris?” Tom finally stopped the quick pacing he’d been doing and turned to Chris. “Why?”  
“Because I got a call last night. They wanted me to leave, in the middle of the night, to go to a job. I’d been…thinking on things for a while by that point, actually, and that call just cemented the whole thing. I realized I had to choose…so I chose you.”  
“Oh, Chris…” Tom stepped around the island in the middle of the kitchen, closing the distance between the two of them, reaching up and hugging Chris close. “Thank you, but…is this…really the right thing to do?”  
“Yes.” Chris said with a nod. “It is. I’m sure of it.”


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one for this morning. Already stayed up too late, my fiance's going to be pissed, I always manage to wake him when I go to bed after he does. Anyway, we get to meet Steve for real and Bucky for the first time in this chapter. Yes, I am following through on my Stucky claims finally. They're a secondary couple, I don't know if I'll be doing any 'detailed' scenes with them yet, but they're there.

“…You know it’s safe to drink, right?” Jane asked, again, as she and Darcy watched Chris staring at the iced coffee Darcy had brought him. “We have no plans on poisoning you.”  
“Not until you become a billionaire and leave it all to Tom, that is.” Darcy added.  
“Well, of course then, yeah. But right now, you’re a bum. So enjoy your coffee.” Jane said, gesturing to the cup.  
“Gee, thanks…” Chris muttered, finally taking a sip of his drink. Darcy instantly looked at Jane.  
“Good, he couldn’t smell the almonds.”  
“Yeah, we’re golden.” Jane said, fist bumping her sister.  
“You guys are…really, really not funny.” Chris said, eyeing them both suspiciously.  
“Aw, we’re just messing.” Darcy assured him. “You chose Tom, you’re in no danger.”  
“Yeah, you’re safe. Even dad’s warmed up to you since he heard.” Jane said as she ripped open a packet of sweetener to dump into her drink. Chris looked legitimately surprised.  
“He is? I thought having no job would sour his opinion more.”  
“Right now, you quit a job that left his son alone and missing you for 80% of the year. Tommy has someone there with him more often now, he’s safer. After that…incident…last week, that’s what matters to him.”  
“I wouldn’t get comfortable with living off Tom, if I were you, though.” Darcy added.   
“I don’t plan to, really. I just…need to find my footing first.” Chris assured them. “I’ve been at the same job for so long that I’m not actually sure what else I _can_ do.”  
The sisters exchanged glances before focusing on Chris again.  
“Well, do you want some help with that?” Darcy asked.   
“Ok, what’s gotten into you two? What is this? Did Tom put you up to this?” Chris asked, looking between them a few times.  
“No, we wanted to take you out to thank you for putting Tommy first. He was miserable when you were gone, especially after you moved in with him.”  
“Yeah. So, in light of you making a real effort, we too will make a real effort.” Darcy said. “So, do you want some help figuring out work or school?”  
“School?”  
“Yeah, maybe you’ll find something in the local class roster that catches your eye. It’s a good place to start and you pay almost nothing for the little local places like that…which is good because Tommy doesn’t make enough to put you through a big college.”  
“Going back to school might not be such a bad idea…” Chris looked thoughtful. “I’ll find something to do for work first, though, I think…The more money we bring in, the better.”  
“Good idea there, big guy.” Darcy said, digging into her bag as Jane pulled out her phone. “So, here you go.” She dropped a newspaper onto the table, followed by some papers and pamphlets. “Start looking. There’s the classifieds, help wanted ads, and there’s a section here about local openings. I even took a trip to the next town over to dig around there since it’s a short drive.”  
“You two have put more thought into this than I have by far.”  
“You’ve earned the help.” Jane said as she tapped away at her phone screen, more than likely looking at job sites. “Now take it.”  
“Or else?”  
“Or else.”

~

When Chris returned home, he was surprised to see Clint and an attractive blonde man sitting with Tom in the living room.  
“Oh, Chris, welcome back.” Tom said, standing up to go meet him at the door.  
“Hey.” Chris said absently, kissing Tom on the cheek when he was close enough. “Didn’t know we were having company.”  
“Oh, Clint stopped by a few minutes after you left with a friend of his.” Tom explained, “This is-“  
“Steve Rogers.” Chris said, “We’ve met.”  
Tom looked confused, Steve spoke up.  
“We work together…or, I guess, worked together. Tom was telling us you quit.”  
“Yeah, I did.” Chris said with a nod, removing his shoes and coat and joining the conversation.  
“Can I get you anything?” Tom asked, Chris shook his head, sitting down in his favorite chair, Tom returning to his spot on the couch by Clint.  
“I spend all this time winning Tom over then leave him waiting for ten and a half months a year? I don’t think so.” Chris said with a smile. “I can find a job somewhere local and spend more time here.”  
“I admire your reasoning, but…well…” Steve started, trailing off when Clint cleared his throat.  
“Tom, I’m sorry, I know I said I didn’t want to bother you too much, but, could I trouble you for something to drink and snack on? Feeling a bit lightheaded.” Clint said, giving Tom an apologetic look. Tom just smiled and stood up.  
“Of course, don’t worry about it. Anyone else while I’m up?”  
“You know, now that I won’t be the odd one out, could I have some coffee, if it’s not too much trouble?” Steve asked.   
“No trouble at all. Chris?”  
“The cider’s fine but can we switch the cheeseballs for popcorn?”  
“Yes, we can, as long as I can skim some off the top.”  
“Of course, darling.” Chris said, smiling at Tom. All three men watching him disappear into the kitchen. They gave it a second until they could hear him moving things about, then Chris stood up, moving closer to Clint and Steve.   
“Chris, you know it’s not as simple as you’ve made it sound. You _have_ to know that by now.” Steve said, the conversation taking on hushed tones.  
“I know, but he doesn’t need to.” Chris said, nodding towards the kitchen. “Tom doesn’t know a damn thing of any of this and I would very much like it to stay that way. The less he knows, the better.”  
“I can understand that, you know I can,” Steve said, “but the world doesn’t exactly seem to have the wants of people like us in mind.”  
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Chris grumbled. “Small cogs and all.”  
“Sorry for adding another fly into the ointment, but, you know staying here is an increasingly bad idea too, right?” Clint asked. “Tash knows you’re here, Steve knows-“  
“I’ll keep my mouth shut. You’ve kept my secret, it’s only fair.” Steve assured Chris.   
“-Carol knows, too. And if she knows, it’s only a matter of time…” Clint finished, Chris huffed.  
“You have a point and it’s something I’ve been contemplating for a while now.” Chris said. “Tom’s reluctant, though. He’s lived his entire life in either this house, or the one across the street. I don’t want to push him.”  
“Darcy and Jane won’t like the idea of him running off with you.” Clint pointed out. “Fairly certain Mr. Foster’ll bust out his shotgun if he thinks you’re trying to abscond with his son.”  
“Yeah and I just managed to redeem myself a bit to them…” Chris groaned. “There has to be a way to go about this that’ll leave everyone happy.”  
“You know,” Steve spoke up, “I’ve only been in town lately to help Bucky get ready to move…what if you guys came with?”  
“What, you asking us to move in?” Chris joked, Steve rolling his eyes.   
“No, asshole. I’m offering to give you a way to maybe warm Tom up to the idea of being away from here. Offer to help us move our stuff and see how it goes.” Steve explained. “Lots of new jobs opening up there, too.”  
“Oh?”  
“Yeah, the place kind of cleared out when the big expensive company that moved in there went under. A new one’s moving into the old space and the housing and job market in the area is spectacular. Nothing pricy, nothing too much bigger than what you’ve got now, some flats and apartments too, if you’re concerned about costs.”  
“And the work?”  
“All kinds of stuff. It’s going to be a production plant mostly, with offices being added in. They need workers of every kind, security, the works.” Steve said. “Buck got himself a job as a line manager right out of the gate.”  
“Hmm…” Chris looked thoughtful. Moving was in their best interest now. It all sounded too perfect to him. Nothing that sounded too perfect ever actually _was_ too perfect.  
“Thinking this sounds too good to be true?” Steve asked. “I thought the same thing, but I needed to move Buck along and he talked the place up like crazy. Think he has family or something out that way he wanted to move closer to. I checked it all out, Chris. Every last bit of it. It’s kosher. I wouldn’t have agreed to the move if I thought it was fishy and I certainly wouldn’t be suggesting it to you.”  
“I’ll…think on it. I need to talk to Tom first.”  
“Yeah, sure, I figured.” Steve said, “No rush or anything, but we’re moving his stuff in a couple days.”  
“Thanks, Steve.” Chris said. At least, out of everyone he knew, he could trust someone.

~

“Wow, they’ve really rolled out the red carpet.” Bucky said as they pulled into town. “Are those flowers even real in that yard?”  
“Oh, probably not. Too close to winter.” Steve said, stopping in front of the house the pair of them had bought. “I can understand them wanting to play it up as much as possible, though. The company’ll bring in a lot of revenue and it won’t succeed without workers.”  
“You talk to your friend about the jobs?” Bucky asked as they exited the car, the u-haul pulling up a moment later, followed by Chris and Tom.  
“Yup. The houses too.”  
“Hope he can convince his significant other to agree to it. I heard about what happened, some guy off his meds happened to latch on to the poor guy as part of his delusions is what the paper said.”  
“Yeah, Tom declined to push the issue once he found that out. Just asked that they make sure the guy get the help he needs.”  
“Nice guy.”  
“Oh, god, it is obscene how nice he is, Buck.” Steve said as he unlocked the front door of the house. “That’s why Chris is so worried about him. He’s an easy target for the wrong people, not a fighter, not physically imposing, guy’s a damn bipedal puppy without the excess energy, doesn’t know a single enemy.”  
“How’d someone like one of your gung-ho buddies get involved with someone like that?”  
“No idea. Guy’s not bad looking, so that could have something to do with it.” The pair watched the movers starting to unload things, Chris and Tom joining the duo by the door. “Thanks for the extra hands, guys. Anything we can do to make this go quicker and smoother is appreciated.”  
“No problem.” Chris said with a dismissive wave. “Right, Tom?”  
“Of course. Happy to be of help.” Tom agreed, smiling politely.  
“Dear god.” Bucky whispered to Steve, who only nodded a bit.  
“Is…there a problem?” Tom asked, looking puzzled.  
“No, just trying to figure out how to break up the work…”Steve assured him.  
“Tom, you can give me a hand with the less cumbersome stuff in the car, let’s leave the heavy lifting to the professionals and these two gorillas.” Bucky said, giving Steve a light pat on the shoulder as he said the last bit.  
“Alright.” Tom agreed, following Bucky back to the car.  
“Forgot about the arm.” Chris admitted as he and Steve stepped aside as the movers started bringing things through.  
“So has he for the most part.” Steve said. “Still gets frustrated sometimes, but I would too if I were him.”  
“Can I ask you something?”   
“You just did.” Steve pointed out as they collected a few chairs to bring in.  
“Smart ass.” Chris muttered, Steve grinned.  
“Ask away.”  
“How have you managed to keep his life so normal so far? Knowing someone like the two of us normally means a less than average life.”  
“Bucky’s not an unknown to the military world, wounded vet and all, that gives me a little wiggle room. Even our bosses are hesitant to get involved with the armed forces. But, keeping him off the radar of everyone else? Keeping the fact that he’s still a very important part of my life a secret? It’s an endless process. This is far from his first move, he’s just used to the whole process by now. Tom might have gotten used to it, too in time.”  
Chris shook his head.  
“Not Tom. The life he was living, waiting for me, not knowing when I’d be around, or if I was even coming back, it was wearing him down, not toughening him up. And Bucky’s at least got his training if he runs into trouble. Tom didn’t even cry out when that guy grabbed him, didn’t fight him at all. He needs someone there.”  
“Can I ask _you_ something now?” Steve asked, Chris grinning, but staying quiet, earning an eye roll from Steve. “How did you two even…get started? He’s everything you’ve never shown an interest in before, everything that is exactly wrong for someone involved with people like us.”  
“I knocked him on his ass, spilled iced coffee on him and was almost murdered by his sisters.” Chris said, as though that’s how the average person goes about meeting people. Steve paused for a moment, staring at Chris.  
“Ok, um…weird first date, but I’ll take it.” Steve said.  
“What was yours? A shooting range? Obstacle course? Trip to the circus?”  
“Burgers.” Steve said. “Bucky was dying for a burger so we made an evening of it. Sounds lame but he loved it and that was all that mattered to me.”  
“Wow, that’s…actually kind of sweet.”  
“I can be sweet. What about you?”  
“Coffee. Not the time I spilled some all over him, a different time. Most of our meet ups happened at the same little cafe.”  
“Routine can be nice.” Steve said as they headed back for the door to grab more off the truck.  
“Out of the way, Captain Tiny Ass, coming through.” Bucky said, Tom giggling a bit behind him as they came through carrying a few suitcases.  
“Need any help?” Steve called after them.  
“Nah, we got it.” Bucky said. “Right, Tom?”  
“Yes, we’re fine.”  
“You know, they’re getting on pretty well.” Chris said as he and Steve watched the pair disappear into the house.  
“Well, they do have the whole ‘spend most of my time alone while my boyfriend is globe trotting’ thing in common.” Steve pointed out, Chris nodded.  
“True, I suppose that can be the catalyst for some strong bonding experiences.”  
“As long as they’re not too strong…”  
“Nothing about Tom could ever be too strong.”  
“You talk to him at all about house hunting on the way here?”  
“Some. He’s still not sure. Help me out here.”  
“You’d think that incident would have made him a little more receptive.” Steve said as he helped Chris carry a dresser inside.   
“Oo, strong men.” Bucky teased.  
“Your favorite kind of men.” Steve shot jokingly. Bucky only shrugged.  
“Want us to grab the drawers?”  
“Yeah, may as well keep as much together as we can.”  
“Got it. Come on, Tommy.”  
“You know, I’ve only ever called him that three or so times in my entire time knowing him.”  
“What? Tommy?” Steve asked as they picked a room and set the dresser down in it.  
“Yeah. His sister calls him the all the time. Don’t think I’ve ever heard her call him Tom.”   
“Huh. Does he have a preference?”  
“He prefers Tom but pretty much answers to whatever variation of his name you use.”  
“Of course he does. Could you have fallen for someone any more darling?”  
“Nope.”

“So, you figured out why you’re here yet?” Bucky asked as he took the drawer Tom handed him.  
“Yes, a while ago. I’m not quite as naive as Chris seems to think I am.”  
“You don’t seem stupid either.”  
“Thank you.” Tom climbed down out of the moving truck, carting a pair of drawers with him. “He brought up moving a while ago. I think, at the time, he felt awkward, my family has been less than trusting and they’re very…present in my daily life.” Tom hesitated for a moment. “I get his concern after…what happened, though. And I don’t completely disagree with relocating, I just…”  
“You don’t want to leave your family.” Bucky filled in, Tom nodded. “Look, if it helps, I didn’t either the first time I moved away from them after I was discharged. They were there for me, around every day, they were my support while Steve was still on tour.”  
“Do you still see them?”  
“Not really. I’ve moved around a lot since then. But I still talk to my parents, and send my grams a letter whenever I can…she hates talking on the phone.”  
“Ah.” Tom looked thoughtful. “It’s a big step, though, leaving behind everything I’ve ever known, selling the house I spent a good portion of my life in, I just…”  
“Then don’t sell it.” Bucky said, as though that was obvious.  
“Huh? But-“  
“Keep it as a ‘vacation home’ of sorts. Stay there when you visit your family, go back there when the two of you need a break from whatever stressors come with a new place. It’s paid off, right?”  
“Oh, yes. I only pay taxes and utilities.”  
“There you go.” Bucky said as they dropped the drawers off. “Family home stays in the family, you can still venture out into the world, and modern technology is great about helping you keep in touch.”  
“I’m honestly not sure how I’ll do without my sisters, though.”  
“Really? Most people are gunning to get away from their siblings.” Bucky motioned for Tom to follow him as they went back downstairs to retrieve more things to bring in.  
“Yes, well, I’m not most people. Jane and Darcy have kind of always been there. I’m not…I’ve never been good about standing up for myself. I just…”  
“You’re a pacifist. There’s nothing wrong with that. The world needs people like that. There’s nowhere near enough of what you’ve got to give out there.” Bucky said as they brought more suitcases inside. “Gonna guess your sisters aren’t entirely the same, though.”  
“Oh, no. They do everything I won’t. Stand up for me, fight back when I won’t, rescue me from whatever problems my own naiveté gets me into. They’re loud and strong and fierce and I’m…not.” He adjusted his glasses for the one millionth time that day, as though somehow that added something to his statement. “I’m not sure what I’ll do when I don’t have that anymore.”  
“You still have Chris.” Bucky pointed out. “You think he’s gonna let anyone get away with a damn thing? There’s no way he won’t pick up right where your sisters left off. Big, strong, imposing guy like that at your side, I doubt there’s going to be much that needs finishing in the first place, though.”  
Tom smiled, amused.  
“I suppose you have a point there.”  
“Course I do. We’re not entirely in the same boat, but we’re definitely caught in the same current.”  
Tom thought about that for a long moment, before nodding.  
“I agree, we are.”

~

“So, how’d the chat with Bucky go?” Chris asked from his spot laying down in their hotel room. Steve had bought their accommodations for the trip as a thank you for their assistance, despite Tom insisting that wasn’t necessary and they could manage on their own.   
“You know, it went really well.” Tom said from the bathroom, where he was running a brush through his hair in preparation for sleep, clad in boxers and one of Chris’s shirts, oversized and baggy on him. “He got me thinking. I haven’t made up my mind, but I’m at least considering things.”  
“Good to hear. This could be a good opportunity for us. Fresh start, houses priced way below what they should be, plenty of job opportunities.”  
“Sounds too good to be true, Chris.” Tom said as he left the bathroom, crawling into bed next to Chris, shimmying under the covers and cozying up to his boyfriend.  
“Yeah, I noticed that too.” Chris said, wrapping an arm around Tom and giving him a light squeeze. “Steve said he checked it all out, though. Everything seems kosher. His words.”  
“I’ll…think on it.”  
“That’s all I ask.”

~

“So how’d things go with Tom?” Steve asked as he flopped down next to Bucky on the couch, taking a quick sip out of the bottle in his hand. “Promising?”  
“Promising.” Bucky said before looking at Steve with wide eyes. “He’s _so. damn. nice._ Normal people aren’t that nice. What is he?”  
“I still stand by my bipedal puppy idea.” Steve said with a shrug. “Didn’t wear on you, did it?”  
“Nah, it was a strangely nice switch.” Bucky said with a shrug. “He’s no idiot, Steve, he knows what we’ve been up to here. Said as much himself.”  
“Never thought he was.” Steve put his bottle down on the table pulled up by the couch, wrapping an arm around Bucky’s shoulders. “You know, if they do move out here, Chris’ll probably ask us to keep an eye on Tom when he can’t. He worries.”  
“What, that the guy’ll see a butterfly and chase it into traffic or something?” Bucky asked. “I’ll keep him company, but I doubt he’ll need much by way of actual babysitting.”  
“Thanks, I think. Chris is a good guy, and things are going to get tough for him soon enough.”  
“You said he quit his job?”  
“Yeah. It’s one of those jobs that lets _you_ go, you don’t let _it_ go. He’s going to get some backlash and he’s got his concerns that someone might include Tom in that.”  
“Geez, you two and your super dangerous, ultra mysterious ‘job’.” Bucky said with a shake of his head. “I still think you’re just doing exotic dancing and don’t want to tell me.”  
“Really, Buck?”  
“Hey, I can’t be the only one interested in guys with little to no junk in their trunk.”  
“Oh my god…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will happen enxt? Will they move? Will they stay? Will my fiance wake up and get pissy when I go to bed? Fidn out int he next chapter...Also, yes, this chapter does mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Tom and Bucky. You will have many a chapter after this to enjoy it. I have a great deal of fun writing Bucky the few times I have in my vast amount of unfinished fanfiction.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New house, the patron saint of muffins, I write a sex scene, and Phil Coulson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No chapter dump this time, early bedtime tonight. Going back to work tomorrow and it's going to be a virtual hellscape, as always it is when I come in after a day off. Anyway, enjoy.

“Yes, we’re settling in nicely. Chris’s friends have been very helpful.” Tom said as he worked on unpacking their kitchen. The sooner it was up and running, the sooner they could ditch the takeout containers and disposable eating utensils. He was fairly certain he could already see extra weight on himself.   
“You’ve kept the doors and windows locked, right?”  
“Yes, Ma. Chris has answered the door every time someone comes by, I don’t even think anyone in the neighborhood knows I live here at this point. It’s ridiculous.” He opened a cabinet and started filling it with bowls and plates of varying shapes and sizes. “How are Da, Jane, and Darcy?”  
“They’re still not happy.” Mrs. Foster said from the other end of the phone. “They’ll come around, though. Don’t worry about them.”  
“I can’t help it. Chris still has a rather prominent bruise where Darcy clocked him.” Tom said worriedly.   
“Darling, bruises fade. He seems like a strong boy, he’ll manage.” She sounded amused as she said this and Tom could imagine the smile on her face. “Are you happy Tommy?”  
“Yes, I think so. It’s all so new still.”  
“You’ll get used to it. We’ll keep an eye on the house for you, keep it in tip top shape for when you visit.”  
“I appreciate it…oh, lord, we’re going to need to buy new furniture…”  
“Concerns for later, my dear. Focus on the house you’re currently in, worry about the one you’re away from later.”  
“Yes, Ma.” Tom said with a small smile. “I should go, I still have almost an entire house to unpack.”  
“Why isn’t Chris helping you?”  
“He’s working on cementing a job and hours he’s happy with.”  
“Oh, honey, he’s new to the job, his needs aren’t important yet.”  
“I figured as much, but he’s hopeful.” Tom said with an amused smile. “I’ll talk to you later, Ma.”  
“Alright, dear. We love you, you know that?”  
“The royal we or the whole family?”  
“Funny.”  
“I love you all too.”  
“Goodbye, dear.”  
“Goodbye, Ma.” Tom hung up, pocketing his phone as he continued to work. He paused when he heard a knock on the front door. “Who could that be?” He set down the dishes he was putting away, making his way through boxes to the from door, opening it, only to find Steve standing there with a friendly smile on his face. “Oh, Steve, hello.”  
“Hey. Just thought I’d stop by and see if you needed any help before I head out.”  
“Oh, thank you, but I’m fine. Chris will be home soon enough, he can help.”  
“You sure? I don’t mind.” Steve assured him. Tom looked thoughtful for a moment.  
“Can you help me get some things into the attic? It’s not that they’re overly cumbersome, it’s just a bit awkward trying to manage it alone.”  
“Sure.” Steve stepped inside, Tom closing the door behind him and leading him up the stairs. “How are you guys liking the new place so far? I know you only moved in a few days ago, but…”  
“So far so good. My family has been calling almost every hour since I told them we arrived safe.”  
“Must be nice to be so loved.”   
“It is.” Tom said with a smile. “They make the whole thing easier. I’ve never been this far from home before…It’s…if I’m not oversharing, it’s a bit frightening.”  
“Don’t worry about it, really. It’s good to talk, it can help you relax faster.” Steve assured him. “These the ones?”  
“Yup. Just big enough to be awkward for me.” Tom said, hands on hips, giving the boxes a disappointed look, as though they were making his life difficult on purpose.   
“Well, let’s get them situated.” Steve said, setting up the ladder leaning against the wall closest to the attic door and climbing up, moving the door aside and reaching down, taking a box from Tom and putting it up in the attic. “You planning on putting anything down over the insulation, or just leaving it?”  
“I’m not sure. Chris would be the one to ask about that, he’s been sniffing around every nook and cranny of this place since our first tour of it.”  
“Never pegged him as a DIY sort of guy.” Steve admitted as he took another box.  
“I don’t know if he is, but I get the feeling he’s going to try.” Tom said, grabbing up another box to hand up to Steve. “Just a few more, then I won’t keep you any longer, I promise.”  
“It’s no trouble, really. Moving’s a lot of work, every little bit of assistance helps.”  
“I suppose you have a point.” Tom admitted as he handed up the last box. Steve closed the attic door once it was situated and climbed down off the ladder, closing it and leaning it against the wall again.   
“Anything else? I don’t mind, I’m not on a schedule.”  
“Oh, I don’t want to trouble you any further.” Tom said, but the look Steve gave him made him contemplate more. “Alright, can you help me with the kitchen? I want that up and running as quickly as possible, if I have to eat takeout too many more nights in a row, I’ll go insane.”  
“Wow, ok. Best get on that one then.” Steve said with a laugh. “Lead on.”  
“Alright.”

“So, kitchen’s just about done and I have a question.”  
“Yes?”  
“Why do you have _so many_ baking supplies?” Steve asked, holding up yet another cookie sheet and examining the multiple stand and hand mixers on the countertop in front of him.  
“I work from home so I’m there a lot…It gets boring and I found out a while on that baking passes the time, is something I’m actually pretty good at, and it leaves me with some delicious byproducts.” Tom explained.  
“So, how are you not obese?”  
“I have two sisters and a stepmother that lived literally just across the street and, I swear, no matter where they are, they can tell when I’m about to take something baked and sweet out of the oven.” Tom explained. “For all I know, they’ll either come barging in the door when I finish my first batch of cookies or call when that first pie comes out of the oven.”   
“Wow.” Steve slid the cookie sheet into the cabinet with the others. “Think Bucky and I could partake in whatever you make next? Neither of us can bake really at all.” He looked over his shoulder at Tom, who met his gaze. “It’s bad. Like really, really bad.”  
“My goodness, I’ll have to set something aside for you two then.”  
“Thank you so much. Buck will be elated.”  
“Is he a cake man? Cookie?”  
“You make muffins?”  
“Yes. What flavor?”  
“Any. He’ll eat whatever you put in front of him if it’s a muffin. Prefers sweeter flavors, though.”  
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do.” Tom said with a smile.   
“Thanks. He’ll love it.”  
“You _do_ get to eat some too, right?” Tom asked, eyebrow raised. Steve was silent for long enough to make the answer obvious. “I’ll put a few extra aside for you then.”  
“Oh, thank you.” Before the conversation, or unpacking, could progress any further, there was a loud knock at the front door. “Expecting anyone?”  
“Yes, Chris said someone’s coming in today to turn on the heat.”  
“Was wondering why it was so cold…”  
“We still have a few things that need to be checked or turned on. I was under the impression, from what the realtor said, that everything would be ready for us, but I guess not.” Tom said with a shrug, heading for the door. Steve stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.   
“I can see to that, if you’d like.”  
“Oh, I couldn’t bother you further.”  
“I insist.” Steve said, “Go have a rest for a bit, we’ve been at this for awhile and I have no idea how long you were working before I got here.”  
“Well…a rest _does_ sound appealing…” Tom debated for a moment. “Alright, but this isn’t going to net you any more muffins than originally I was going to give you.”  
“Well, that takes away from it a bit, but my offer still stands to step up while you take a break.”  
“Thank you.” Tom said, heading back into the kitchen and digging a glass out of a box, filling it with water and leaving the kitchen to go into the room he’d designated as his office, taking a seat, heavily, on the couch there. Steve watched him for a moment, then answered the door.  
“Thomas Foster?” The man on the other side of the door asked, looking at the clipboard he held as he spoke.  
“No.” Steve said, the man’s brow furrowed in confusion.  
“Christopher Odinson?”  
“No.”   
“No?”  
“No.”  
“…You sure?”  
“Yes.”  
“Am I even at the right address?”  
“Yes.”  
“Oh. Then…”  
“They had to step out.” Steve said, “Only me. Come on in.”  
“Uh…ok.” The man said, glancing side to side and back at his truck quickly, as though hoping there was someone nearby.  
“Problem?”  
“Just hoping there’s someone watching me go in incase you’re about to murder me.” The man explained, stepping inside.

Chris returned home to find the house almost completely unpacked and set up. The process had been slow going at first, so there were plenty of things for them to organize.  
“Tom? You here?”  
“Yes! Welcome back!”  
Chris slipped off his shoes, closed the door and followed Tom’s voice upstairs. He paused in the doorway of one of the upstairs bedrooms, staring for a long moment before speaking up.  
“…What am I looking at right now?”  
“Yet another perfectly good reason for me to burn down Ikea.” Bucky said as he handed Steve a screwdriver while Tom looked at the instructions for the desk they were attempting to put together.   
“We’ve discussed this, you’re not burning down Ikea, Buck.” Steve said absently.  
“Well, according to this, we’re doing it correctly so far.” Tom said. “I’m not sure why it’s not going together properly, though.”  
“Steve’s ineptitude when it comes to building could be a factor.” Bucky suggested.   
“I can build things just fine, Buck.” Steve said with the same ‘paying attention only enough to know what’s going on’ tone of voice.  
“How did it go?” Tom asked, finally looking up at Chris from his spot seated crosslegged on the floor.  
“Went well, they’ve got a few different jobs in mind but they want to do more interviews to see who’s best suited.” Chris said.  
“Well, better than nothing.” Tom said. “Care to give us a hand?”  
“Yeah, maybe you’re smarter than a few pieces of wood and some screws.” Bucky teased. “It’s up in the air for Steve at the moment.”  
“I’m managing just fine, Buck.”   
“Here, let me see.” Chris said as he knelt by Steve, taking the instructions when Tom offered them. “How the hell’d you make sense of these?”  
“I’m still not one hundred percent sure if I have, to be completely honest.” Tom admitted.   
“Well, we’ll manage.” Chris said, looking from the instructions to the pieces spread out everywhere. “Maybe.”

~

“So, why can’t I have a muffin again?” Chris asked as Tom left a batch of the fragrant baked goods on a cooling rack.  
“Because they’re for Bucky and Steve and I already have them divvied up in my head. I don’t want you buggering up the numbers.” Tom explained, “Don’t worry, it’s not the only batch I’m going to bake. Any requests?”  
“What do we have?”  
“Oh, Ma left us very well stocked before we moved out here, I have plenty.”  
“Craisins?”  
“Yes, craisins.” Tom said with a long suffering sigh. “You and your dried fruits. One of these days, you’ll overdo it.”  
“No, I won’t.” Chris said, completely sure of himself.  
“So, Oatmeal craisin, maybe chocolate chip craisin? White chocolate perhaps?”  
“All of those.”  
“Chris, that is an obscene amount of muffins, I am not making all three.” Tom said, hands on his hips, looking at Chris as though he was scolding him. “And, before you open your mouth again, yes, you _can_ have too many muffins. Pick one.”  
“Fine, fine…Hm…Chocolate chip. With craisins.” Chris said finally.  
“That, I will do.” Tom said with a nod.  
“You’re a saint, love.” Chris said, kissing Tom lightly. Tom hummed quietly, a small smile on his face.  
“The patron saint of muffins?”  
“Is that a real thing? I would pray to it every day if it was.” Chris said, Tom laughing.  
“It very much is not.” He informed a newly disappointed Chris. “But that does mean the position is open.”  
“You’d make a wonderful patron saint of muffins.” Chris assured Tom, grabbing him loosely by the hips and pulling him forward, holding him close and kissing him again.  
“Thinking of doing some worshipping, are we?”  
“Maybe…” Chris pushed Tom back against the counter, leaning in and kissing him deeply, Tom’s arms snaking up around his neck. “It’s going to be a fairly lengthy process.”  
“I’m perfectly fine with that.”  
“Good.” Chris pushed the well-worn apron Tom used when baking (The “Bread Incident of ’07” had been referenced several times as a reason for the apron, but never once explained. It bothered him a bit, if he was to completely honest about it.) aside, starting on Tom’s belt and fly.  
“My goodness, eager, aren’t we?”  
“I’m about to have sex with _you_. Anyone would be eager.” Chris said, grin broadening when Tom blushed. “You are so unbelievably precious.”  
“Stop that, now, you’re embarrassing me.”  
“Allow me to apologize then.” Chris said lowly, capturing Tom’s lips again, hand down the front of his pants, making his lover squirm.  
“Ch-Chris, wait, not-ohmygoodness.”  
“What?” Chris asked slyly, “Not what?”   
“N-Not…kitchen…” Tom stammered, leaning heavily back against the counter, now gripping it with both hands while Chris stroked him. “S-Stop-aah!” He tossed is head back, panting when Chris put a slight twist to his wrist, rubbing over the head of Tom’s cock with every pull. “Ooohhh god…”   
Chris kissed down Tom’s neck, nipping, licking and sucking the pale skin. Tom was trembling slightly, already close. To be fair, it had been a rather long time since they last did anything, settling in had taken a great deal of their time recently. Tom smacked Chris’s shoulder a few times, Chris easing up on his ministrations.  
“Yes?”  
“Do-Don’t you dare make a…a mess out here. I’m standing by food for other people.” Tom managed, nodding to the muffins.  
“Fine then. Where can I make a mess?”  
“Almost anywhere else.” He regretted the words the second they left his mouth, but they were out there now and he couldn’t exactly unsay them, so he went along with it when he was dragged out of the kitchen and into the very next available room. “Oh no-“ He made a soft ‘oof’ noise when he was pushed up to the living room couch, then bent over it. Chris had noticed early on that the back of the couch was pretty much to Tom’s hips, making it a rather nice height for occasions such as this.  
“You never said ‘don’t fuck me over the back of the couch'. You just said ‘don’t fuck me in the kitchen’.” Chris pointed out, Tom nodding.  
“True, very true.” He conceded, adjusting himself to get slightly more comfortable. “Can I at least take the apron off?”  
“If you must.” Chris said, pouting. Tom didn’t need to actually see his face to know the pout was there, it was in his tone of voice as well. He straightened up, smiling in amusement, untying then removing his apron, tossing it aside. “Done?”  
“Yes-Oop!” He was pushed back down, bent over with his ass sticking out towards his lover. Chris eased Tom’s jeans down to his knees, pausing to appraise the sight before him.  
“Magnificent.”  
“Stooooopp.” Tom whined, burying his face against the back cushion of the couch, blushing deeply. Chris could picture the face he was making perfectly and it only served to turn him on more. “Next time, we’re doing this in the bedroom.”  
“You have absolutely no sense of adventure.” Chris said with a sigh as he reached easily over the back of the couch to the small table next to it, pulling a small tube of lubricant out of the drawer on it.  
“You can’t just keep that in there, what if a guest stumbles upon it?”  
“Then they know we’re two consenting adults doing something perfectly normal for two consenting adults to do.” Chris said easily as he slicked up his fingers. “Spread ‘em.”  
“You are the epitome of romantic.” Tom teased, moving his feet as far apart as he was able, reaching back and parting his cheeks, exposing himself to whoever might have been behind him and bringing the blush back full force.   
“I do it for you.”  
“Yes, well, perhaps I’m not quite as cultured as I claimed to be then.” Tom said, gasping when Chris pressed a finger to him.   
“Or maybe I’m more cultured than people think I am.”  
“I don’t entirely know if this is what they’re talking about when they say adding fantasies to your sexual play can make things more interesting.”  
“Smartass.” Chris teased before starting to push a finger into Tom. “Relax, man, I need to get in there for this to work.”  
“Oh, my god, if we keep going like this, I’ll have gone completely soft by the second finger.”   
Chris raised an eyebrow, crooking his finger and feeling about a bit, Tom stilled and gasped, legs starting to tremble.  
“You sure about that?” He asked, pushing a second finger in, massaging that special spot until Tom was pushing his hips back against his hand, moaning deliciously. Calling the lack of verbal response a victory, he pushed a third finger in, working the tight entrance open, paying special attention to Tom’s prostate, jerking him off and kissing and nipping at his neck. Tom, for his part, was doing his best to keep himself still instead of moving along with Chris’s fingers, making enough noise that Chris was glad they weren’t sharing the house with anyone.   
“God, Chris, I’m-“  
“Go ahead.”   
“B-But-“ Whatever Tom had been about to say was cut short by a high pitched whine when Chris sucked hard on the back of his neck, gripping his cock more firmly as he stroked it. “Ch-Chris…Chris, I-“ He gave a short cry as he came, gripping at the couch as he rode out his orgasm, Chris easing up only when Tom started to go limp. He made sure Tom could at least hold himself upright, then worked on getting himself out of his jeans, he ached for it, rock hard and leaking precum. He helped Tom the rest of the way out of his pants, to allow for more room for him to move, and quickly lubed himself up before positioning himself behind Tom, who gasped and groaned quietly.  
“You weren’t going to just leave me hanging, were you?”  
“You’re a beast.” Was the breathless reply. “Have at me then.”  
“Now who’s the epitome of romantic?” Chris teased as he slowly pushed his way inside, pausing when he was in to the hilt, giving Tom’s straining body time to adjust to his considerable girth. “Ready?”  
Tom stayed quiet , a small nod his only response. Chris started moving, slowly, gripping Tom’s hips, both to keep his lover upright and to anchor himself. “More?” He asked after a few minutes. Tom nodded.  
“M-More.” He managed to say, uttering a barely audible “ _oh!_ ” when Chris sped up, hitting that spot that had Tom’s legs shaking and his breaths coming in sharp gasps. Chris couldn’t help the fond yet amused smile that appeared on his face when Tom finally gave in, pushing his hips back to meet Chris’s thrusts. He was both adorable and delectable when he finally started to loosen up during sex and Chris planned on enjoying the lapse in composure to its fullest.   
“You feel fucking amazing.” He said, rhythm starting to slip some as he sped up again. He couldn’t keep the round going forever, neglect had made him a quicker shot than normal and he knew full well he’d lose control soon enough. “So damn good.”  
“Oh god, Chris….More…Please.” Tom’s voice was absolutely sinful when it sounded like that. Breathy, full of want, and desperation. Chris shuddered, rutting into the slender body in his grasp at a punishing pace. Still, Tom wanted more, this time harder had been added…so Chris dropped the last bit of control he had, grip tightening on Tom’s hips,slamming into him mercilessly, absolutely obliterating his prostate, eliciting loud cries and quiet sobs from Tom as his legs threatened to buckle. He came, untouched, for the second time, body spasming around Chris’s cock, pushing him over the edge with a loud grunt. He slammed into Tom a few more times before releasing deep inside him. When Chris finally pulled out, a dribble of cum followed, he cringed. Tom wasn’t going to be happy about any mess that this might leave. He started planning how to clean up the couch so no one would notice the mess on the back of it if they passed through, it was the only way Tom would agree to be bent over it again. Tom straightened up, taking a moment to catch his breath properly and make sure his legs wouldn’t cave under him if he let go of the back of the couch. When he was sure he wouldn’t end out on his, admittedly sore, ass, he stepped away, backing up into Chris, who wrapped his arms him.   
“Where you off to?”  
“Bathroom. Going to shower.” Tom said, looking up at Chris, smiling. “There’s no way I’m going anywhere near those muffins for Steve and Bucky before I’ve cleaned up.”  
“You’re making it sound like I’m dirty or something.”  
“Well…”  
“For once, I didn’t mean like that.” Chris said, smiling in amusement, leaning down and kissing Tom. “Want some company?”  
“No, I very much do not, you insatiable animal. This is supposed to be a productive shower.”  
“Alright, alright, I’ll leave you in peace for now.” Chris conceded, letting Tom go, staring shamelessly at his ass as he collected his discarded clothes and made his way to the stairs. “And you’re sure you don’t want company?”  
“Positive.”  
“Spoil sport.”

~

The pair settled into their new home quickly enough, Tom going back to freelance computer work, Chris starting a job on one of the lines at the company that had finally opened its doors to their employees. He didn’t know if it was by chance or not, but he’d managed to get a position on the line Bucky managed and things ran curiously efficiently compared to other lines after his arrival. He settled into the work, the routine, and even came to enjoy it. Normal life, while still awkward for him by now, was turning out to be simpler than he’d thought. There were certain things he couldn’t let go, certain habits he kept, and his protectiveness had been in slight overdrive. Tom still had yet to answer the door if Chris was there, the curtains and blinds were pretty well never opened, especially if Tom was there alone, he walked the house inside and out pretty well every night, they had a security system installed, Chris had been trying to wear Tom down on the topic of getting a dog, and multiple other things that had Tom curious…and a little nervous.  
“Do we really…need to keep that here?” He asked, eyeing the handgun Chris was holding. He’d been cleaning it and was about to put it away when Tom finally spoke up.  
“I’m not going to go insane with the thing, Tom. I don’t expect you to either. It’s just…a precaution.”  
“This is an extremely low crime area, Chris. Is ‘a precaution’ really necessary?”  
“It’s staying locked in a case and unloaded under my side of the bed.” Chris assured him while putting the gun away in its case. “The ammo will be stored elsewhere.”  
“I don’t know, Chris, I just…I’m not…a big fan of the things, they make me nervous.” Tom admitted, eyeing the guncase somewhat warily.  
“You don’t have to use it, Tom. If I’m being honest, I hope you do if the situation calls for it, but I’m not going to push you or force the thing into your hands.” Chris insisted. “It’s just here incase. That’s all. Besides, keeping it inside is a lot safer than keeping it outside in the garage or the truck. You know if I do that, it’ll be the one time someone does come through and decide to steal something.”  
“I suppose…” Tom muttered, worrying his hands a bit. “Alright, but it stays locked up unless _absolutely_ necessary.” He finally conceded, knowing Chris would give up eventually and get rid of it if he insisted enough, but at the same time not wanting to resort to tactics he considered to be underhanded. Chris sighed in relief.  
“Thank you.” He said, Tom nodding but still looking unhappy about it. Chris knew that would be the case. Tom detested violence in pretty well all of its forms, of course he’d be uneasy around a weapon, kitchen knives notwithstanding. It was going to take a long time of gentle prodding and pushing to get Tom to even hold the thing, he knew that much for sure, wondering if maybe he shouldn’t give up on the idea of Tom ever actually learning to shoot. “Would you be terribly adverse to me showing you how to use it?”  
“Yes, but you can show me anyway.” Tom said, Chris gave a nod, it was as good as he was going to get, he knew that much. So, he took what he could get, plucking up the guncase and bringing it back upstairs. On occasion, he did find himself wondering how they’d managed to make their relationship work. Tom was Chris’s exact polar opposite, and yet Chris couldn’t imagine life without him. The things he took issue with were really only issues because he knew personally what was going on out in the world. He’d seen quite a bit of the darker side of human nature and had participated in it himself when needed. He chuckled quietly and shook his head a bit in disbelief when it occurred to him as well that the things he took issue with were also the things he loved most. Tom had caused a bit of a paradox for Chris. It didn’t matter at the moment, though. He stowed away the case, going back downstairs.  
“So, my muffins ready yet?”  
“They just went into the oven a few minutes ago, they’ll need a little bit.” Tom said, working on cleaning up the mess baking had left behind. “Patience is a virtue you know.”  
“Not one I possess, unfortunately for you. Do you want any help straightening up?”  
“Can you dry and put away the things I wash?”  
“Sure.” Chris took up the dish towel, taking his spot next to Tom, who seemed to have relaxed now that the discussion about the gun was over and the thing was put away and out of sight.   
“Bucky texted me earlier, he said Steve’s going to be going out of town for a while starting Tuesday.”  
“And you were thinking of…”  
“Having him over a few times, maybe going over there if he’s agreeable. I know he can manage on his own but I can’t help but want to make sure he’s doing alright.”  
“I’m sure he’d appreciate the concern.” Chris assured Tom. “Text him back, let him know the offer’s open to come do dinner if he’d like.”  
“Alright.” Tom said with a smile. He and Bucky had started to get on quite well almost right away. It was an interesting dynamic the two had. Bucky picking up the slack in areas Tom didn’t exactly handle well, and Tom doing the same for him. They’d bonded mostly over busy boyfriends and a lot of alone time. Chris was just glad Tom had someone to look out for him, a friend.

~

Chris arrived home, pulling into the driveway and eyeing the strange car parked out front. He couldn’t help but get overcautious at times that didn’t tend to warrant it. He grabbed up his coat and lunchbox, locking his truck and going inside, freezing when he noticed Tom wasn’t alone.   
“Oh, Chris. Welcome home.” Tom said with a smile. “We have a surprise guest.”  
“I see that. Who-“ He stopped abruptly when the visitor stood up and turned to face him. “Phil.”  
“Chris.” The man said. “It’s been a while…Six months? Seven?”  
“About six.” Chris said, “What brings you here?” ‘Somewhere you shouldn’t even know to look in the first place’ was left unsaid.  
“I know it’s been a while, but I’m here to try to negotiate you going back to work.”   
Chris exchanged a quick glance with Tom, who looked concerned, but got up and left all the same, going into his office and closing the door. Chris and Phil watched him go and stared at the closed door until they heard some music start up.  
“He seems nice.” Phil said, looking back at Chris, who met his gaze.  
“He is. I’m not going back. I said I quit and I meant it.”  
“I told Nick that’s what you would say. He asked me to try anyway.”  
“So how long have you known where we were?”  
“About fifteen minutes now.”  
“Really?” Chris looked surprised. Phil nodded.  
“Whoever you used to help you hide was damn impressive. I doubt you’ll tell me who it was, though.”  
“I will most definitely not.” Chris assured him. “I will show you out, though.”  
“I know where you are now, Chris, and I will come back again if this isn’t solved today.” Phil said. “We’d both rather you get back to the life you made here, believe me.”  
“Not entirely sure I do.” Chris said. “You just said you want me to stay here, after all. That’s…”  
“Me being sent to try to coax you back into the job doesn’t necessarily mean I want to do it.” Phil explained. “No one else knows where you’re hiding. No one knows about him,” He nodded towards the closed office door, “or about Steve’s friend down the block. Only me. I requested as much before I left.”  
“Why? Why try to help us stay out of things? Especially if you want me back?”  
“Because you and Steve are both good people. Good people…well, they need some good in their lives if they have to do bad things frequently. I know James is the main motivator for Steve and that keeping their relationship a secret is the best way to ensure Steve works to his full potential…it’s also the only way he’ll stay with the job instead of bailing and disappearing like you did.”  
“How do you even know about their relationship? Who told you?” Chris asked, concerned there was someone snooping about. Phil nodded to the closed door to Tom’s office.  
“He did. He had no idea what he was doing, no idea what to and not to say. I’m a little ashamed to say I took some advantage with that fact. I know where you work, I know James is your manager, I know he and Tom tend to go out together when shopping or getting fresh air…I know how easy a target Tom is.”  
“If you try _anything_ with Tom-“  
“Calm down, I’m not here to threaten. And I’m certainly not here to hurt anyone. Tom’s safe. I’ve taken every single precaution I could think of to make sure no one could figure out where I was going and it took quite some time to find you.”  
“Why did they send only you? With no resources or anything?”  
“Nick and I requested it.” Phil said, the two men finally relaxing into eachother’s company as Chris walked around the chair Phil was sitting back down on, taking a seat on the couch across from him. “You were obviously trying to stay off the radar. Whatever made you drop the job, it was important enough for you to put a lot of effort into hiding it. We figured there were only a few things that could do that. Especially considering the last time I contacted you, you were with someone.”  
“So you asked to come alone to keep me more at ease, maybe more agreeable.” Chris filled in.  
“Pretty much.” Phil said with a shrug. “No one outside Nick and I knew I planned on going off the grid for the search.”  
“So, no one knows where you are, and thus no one knows where my and Steve’s secrets are?”  
“Exactly. I’ve met James before, he’s a good man. I don’t want his life turned upside down, or ended, because he happens to be involved with one of our operatives…and I certainly don’t want to get Tom involved at all. He’s a complete innocent in all this and I won’t be the one to change that.”  
“I appreciate that. Truly, I do. But I’m not going back.” Chris said firmly.  
“We said you’d say that.” Phil said, “So the higher ups came up with some offers to try to entice you.”  
“What the hell, let’s hear them. I need a good laugh.” Chris said, sitting back and relaxing.  
“That’s exactly what Nick said. Offer number one was fewer jobs throughout the year.”  
“How much fewer?”  
“Undetermined.”  
“No thanks.”  
“More downtime between jobs.”  
“How much more?”  
“Undetermined.”  
“I’ll pass.”  
“Assignment to shorter jobs.”  
“How much shorter? And how will they manage making sure the job goes quickly?”  
“Both undetermined.”  
“No, thanks.”  
“Jobs closer to wherever it is you want to settle, shorter trips to and from that way, less time away.”  
“How much closer?”  
“Undetermined.”  
“Did they actually put any real thought into this? At all?”  
“I honestly don’t know.” Phil admitted. “I’m just repeating what they told me to say.”  
“Well, so far, you wasted your time coming here.” Chris said.  
“Yeah, I figured. So, I suggested an offer of my own. They didn’t like it but it was better than nothing.”  
“And what was it?” Chris asked, pausing when the door to Tom’s office opened and he stepped out, heading for the kitchen without so much as glancing at the pair, digging about a bit, then going back into his office with a bottle of juice. Once the door was securely closed again, they began speaking.  
“You pick the jobs you do. We only tell you about them, wheres, whens, general estimate of the time it’ll take for the job to get done, whatever information we have, you tell us if you’re interested.”  
“And they went for that?”  
“After we explained that it might be the only way to get you to agree to come back.” Phil said. “They’re probably going to try to tweak the arrangement, but you can just fade into obscurity again if they do. I’m not telling anyone where you are.”  
The pair looked up again when the office door opened, Tom stepping into the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching the duo. The look on his face implied his music hadn’t been quite loud enough at the exact right moments of their conversation, and he was eager to hear Chris’s answer.  
“…I’ll think about it.” Chris said finally “How do I reach you?”  
“Send a letter to Peggy.” Phil said, standing up, Chris standing with him. “We hope to hear from you soon.” He looked at an uneasy Tom. “It was nice to meet you.” Tom gave a small nod.  
“Likewise.” He said softly. “I’ll show you out.”  
“No, no, it’s fine. I can manage. Sorry to bother you.” Phil assured him. And with that he left, Chris closing the door behind him and turning to Tom.  
“I won’t if you don’t want me to.” He said. “I know me being gone so much didn’t treat you well, I won’t go back if it’s what you want.”  
“He wouldn’t have come here if they didn’t need you.”   
“How much did you hear?”  
“I heard everything from Phil’s offer onwards.” Tom said, “Sorry, I…couldn’t help but listen in a bit.”  
“It’s ok.” Chris assured him. He closed the distance between them, frowning when Tom looked away, eyes downcast.  
“Do you want to go back?” He asked quietly. Chris shook his head, tilting Tom’s head up so he was looking him in the face.  
“No. I don’t.”  
“…Then why didn’t you just say that when you had the chance?” Tom asked, “If you’re that certain…why didn’t you just tell him you weren’t interested? Why say anything else?”  
“Because…” He hesitated. He didn’t know. He didn’t know why, in that moment, when he could have ended the whole ordeal right there, he’d hesitated. He was keeping something dangerous in their lives much longer than it needed to be, and he wasn’t even sure why. “I don’t know…I don’t know, Tom.”  
“Are you not happy with how things are here? Are you…not happy with _me_? Is it because I’m so…”  
“Tom, don’t.” Chris said before Tom could finish that thought. “It is _not_ you. It never will be you. I’m happy here. Living a normal life, no constant traveling, no being called away without a moment’s notice at all hours of the day and night, no more complications.” He reached out, pulling Tom close, holding him tightly. “You make me so, so happy. I love you, and I hope you always remember that. You come first. Always. If you don’t want me to go back, I won’t.” Chris assured him. Tom finally reached up, hugging Chris, burying his face in the taller man’s shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a follow up from last night/this monring's chapter notes, no, I did not wake my fiance when I went to bed. He got up on his own at the same time I was preparing to go to bed....side note, he was still pissy about the whole "going to bed at three in the morning" thing.
> 
> Next chapter, we see more Tom and Bucky interaction, Bucky's a dog person, Tom is the most British of Brits and more!


	7. Chapter Seven

“What?” Bucky looked surprised as they walked down the aisle at the local grocery store Tom tended to favor. “His old job wants him back?”  
“Seems so.” Tom said, barely even paying attention to the items on the shelves. “They made him an offer he’s actually thinking about taking.”  
“Wow. Thought one of the reasons he moved out here was to be away from the old job.” Bucky looked thoughtful. “How’d they know where he went? I doubt he would have told them if he was willing to move practically across the country to avoid them.”  
“I don’t know.” Tom admitted, shaking his head a bit. “I thought he was content with how things are…”  
“It could be a money issue.” Bucky suggested as he stopped to look at some fruit cups. “Hey, pears or peaches?”  
“Peaches.” Tom said with certainty. “Always peaches.”  
“Thanks, man.” Bucky grabbed some four packs of diced peaches in syrup, tossing them into their joint cart. “But, like I was saying, it could be a money thing. We don’t really get paid too much more than minimum wage right now. Steve bought the house completly with the money he earned from work. Paid it all off in one go, too. Whatever that job happens to be, it pays damn well.”  
“Do you have any idea what it could be? Anything at all?”  
“I’ve had guesses, but none of them quite fit.” Bucky said as they continued on. “My current one is secret exotic dancer.”  
Tom paused, staring for a long, long moment.  
“Somehow I don’t think that’s it.”  
“You never know. We only know they’re out a lot and keep mum about whatever happens while they’re gone.” Bucky pointed out. Tom opened his mouth to say something in response, paused, then closed it. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Look, I bet you it’s a money thing. Before he was a man on his own, didn’t have as much to worry about, didn’t have anyone he shared his life with, he could do what he wanted more. Then, suddenly, you appear in his life. He falls for you. Suddenly his alpha male personality says he has to protect you, take care of you, provide for you. Gifts and paying for things starts up, he doesn’t need to worry about rent at least, you said your house was paid off back home. He didn’t even have a car of his own before, from what you’ve told me. Now, boom, car, mortgage, bills, groceries, household needs, anything else that comes along. He’s probably thinking that taking up his old job would ensure you two have enough to get by.”  
“I suppose that makes sense.” Tom admitted, brightening up some. “You make a good point. He didn’t like the job much, I can’t think of a reason he’d willingly go back apart from that.”  
“There you go.” Bucky said. “Hey, hold on, there’s a sale on ground chicken, I need to stock up.”  
“Ground chicken?”  
“Yeah. Mild meat, a favorite of Steve’s. May as well grab a bunch while it’s cheap.”  
“That’s fair. Oh, look at that roast!”  
“Best grab it if you’re eyeing it, there’s a couple of housewives low-key racing over for it.”  
“I don’t know…”  
“Here, I’ll help you decide.” Bucky said, picking the packaged meat up and putting it in the cart. “There you go.”  
“Um, thanks…” Tom watched one of the women start looking at other things as though she wasn’t totally gunning for the roast in his cart and the other woman just kept walking right on past them, giving the roast a quick glance like she was contemplating grabbing it but refrained, continuing on her way.  
“So, a little more at ease now?”  
“Yes. Thank you.”  
“No problem. Now I vote we go check out the snack aisle and I leave with a dozen or so bags of chips I’ll probably just eat all in one day.”  
“Um, how about we only grab two bags of chips and space out their consumption to last a little while longer?”  
“Nah.”

~

Tom pushed the door open, putting a few bags inside before disappearing back outside. Chris looked away from the tv, watching two more bags join the first few before Tom closed the door and began bringing the groceries into the kitchen.  
“I thought you were just going out for ‘a few things’.”  
“There were a few sales, I thought I’d take advantage.” Tom explained.  
“Need any help?”  
“No, I’m fine.” Tom said as Chris joined him in the kitchen. “Look, Chris, I was talking to Bucky and he got me thinking…and I say, if you think it would be beneficial, take the job back.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes.” Tom paused, “If you want to, of course. Phil seems like he’s trustworthy, I think he’ll do his best to make sure everyone sticks to the terms that you set.”  
“It’s not Phil I need to worry about, it’s the higher ups. They want me back because I was one of their best. I excelled at what I did, enough for them to try to track me down and try to convince me to come back, it seems.”  
“So, are you thinking of taking it?”  
“Will you be alright here alone if I do?” Chris asked, watching Tom shift a bit, uncertain of his answer it seemed. “Tom?”  
“I should be. I’ve got Bucky to keep me company, and Steve when he’s here. I’ll manage. Especially if you’re going to be gone less.”  
“You sure?”  
“Yes. I’ll even agree to get that dog you’ve been pestering me about.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes. But, they can get expensive. We can manage to take care of one properly, right?”  
“Of course. Of course we can.” Chris walked quickly over to Tom, pulling him into a hug. “You’re amazing.”  
“I didn’t do anything to warrant being called amazing, Chris. I just agreed to get a dog.”  
“You’ve never owned a dog before, have you?”  
“Um…when I was little we had one, but my parents did most of the care and training, and all of the paying for it. I just played with it. Have you owned dogs before?”  
“I, uh, dogsat on several occasions.” Chris said, mind wandering to the times a working dog was used for a job. He’d enjoyed their downtime during those jobs, the dogs were wonderful and they brightened spirits immensely. “I liked it. I miss having a dog around.”  
“Why didn’t you just say that from the start then?”  
“Would that have changed your decision?”  
“It would have swayed me some, at least.” Tom said, “We can look into dog.”  
“Like I said earlier, amazing.” Chris said as he leaned down to kiss Tom. He really had gotten lucky when he ran into the smaller man almost three years ago. He sincerely hoped Tom felt the same way.

~

“He’s gonna want something big and imposing to keep you company while he’s gone. You know that, right?” Bucky asked over the phone. He was working on a jigsaw puzzle while Steve sat in the next room, watching tv.  
_“I know, I know. Honestly, I was hoping for something a little smaller, a Corgi or a Scottie or something along those lines.”_ Tom said, Bucky snickered.  
“You are so British.”  
_“Why? Because I want a Corgi? That’s stereotyping, isn’t it? Generalizing maybe?”_  
“Maybe a bit. But, really, a Scottie? They’re supposed to be the rudest dogs ever…Well, maybe not ever, but they’re up there.”  
_“Ok, then, a Jack Russell. They’re cute and tough at the same time.”_  
“They’re also little. Especially if you get the stockier ones with the shorter legs.” Bucky pointed out, glaring at a piece he was holding, unable to locate its respective spot.  
_“But, they’re the cutest.”_ Tom said. Bucky smiled, amused by the childish tone in Tom’s voice when he said that.  
“Yeah, I somehow don’t think Chris’ll go for a cute little dog.”  
_“I have several ways of persuading him but you make a good point. His main reason for wanting one is so I have a companion that can successfully scare off anyone that might wish me ill. He’s talking about Rottweilers and Staffordshire Terriers, breeds like that.”_  
“Nothing wrong with Staffies and Rotties. I personally think the best thing in the entire dog world is a baby Rottie.”  
_“Oh, no, I’m not saying there’s something wrong with them, They’re just not my cup of tea.”_  
“So British.”  
_“It’s a widely used expression. You know that, right?”_  
“Yeah, I know. But it sounds so damn British when you say it.”  
_“I can work on my American accent, if you’d like. Sound more like I’m from the States.”_  
“No, you’d sound wrong without the accent. Please, just stay British.” Bucky gave Steve a look when he heard the other man laughing. “If I could hold a phone and put a puzzle together at the same time, I would. But I can’t so turn the tv up and mind your own damn business.”  
_“Oh, no, I thought you sounded odd, we’re on speaker, aren’t we?”_  
“Yeah. Sorry.”  
_“Oh, bugger.”_  
“So British.” Steve said quietly, Bucky throwing the lid to the puzzle’s cardboard box at him.  
“Shut up, only I get the privilege of saying that.”  
_“Yes, cultural insensitivity is a luxury only for the few great ones of the world to partake in.”_ Tom said flatly. _“That is painfully American of you.”_  
“Hey, no need to make this about me.” Bucky said, mock defesive to accompany Tom’s mock offended.  
“Weren’t you guys talking about dogs?” Steve asked.  
“Yeah. Back to the dogs.”  
_“Yes. So, help me think of a compromise he might go for.”_  
“Well, you clearly want cute and/or small. And he’s going to want intimating and/or big. Maybe we can find a mid-sized breed he’ll go for.”  
_“Ok. Let’s see…Well, there’s the basics, Retrievers, Australian Shepherds, Whippets, Boxers.”_  
“Fun act, Aussies are actually American.” Bucky said, finally putting the troublesome puzzle piece in its respective spot. “Ha! Take that, you little fucker.”  
_“Um, excuse me?”_  
“Not you, the puzzle piece.”  
_“Oh…alright.”_  
“Yeah. Also, I love that Whippets were a basic suggestion instead of, like, Bull terriers or Border Collies.”  
_“Basic changes between individuals. What would you recommend, Dog Guru?”_  
“I’d recommend thinking about how much exercise you feel like doing a day. No point in getting a dog that doesn’t match well with you.”  
“He could take a look at adoption sites.” Steve suggested as he changed the channel a few times. “If they’re planning to adopt, that is.”  
“Are you planning to adopt?”  
_“I have no idea what we’re planning to do.”_  
“Eh, poke around some. See if anyone jumps out at you…and remember what the list of ‘approved pets’ is for your insurance. No point in picking one if you can’t take it home.”  
_“Fair point.”_ Tom paused for a moment, Bucky placed several more pieces and Steve watched Family Feud.  
“Hey, what would you two say is something a man, with permission from his wife, would spend money on?”  
“A boat?”  
_“Maybe a TV?”_  
“Oo, yeah, a TV. Definitely.”   
“Not, you know, jewelry? Or make up?”  
“No. What the fuck?”  
_“I suppose it depends on the man.”_  
“It’s Family Feud, Tom, don’t think too deeply into it.”  
_“Then, no, not make up and jewelry.”_  
“Yeah, you’d think that’d be obvious…” Steve said, giving the people on the screen a disappointed look.  
“Ok, Tom, my best advice is to look around on a big adoption site. They’ll have specific details about the animal like activity level, how well it does with people, other animals, that kind of thing. And stay away from the cute tiny things, they’ll never make it past Chris’s inspection.” Bucky said, Tom sighed on the other end of the line.  
_“I suppose you’re right. I should get to work, I’ve got something due soon I’ve been putting off and the client is getting antsy. Thanks. Both of you.”_  
“You’re welcome.”  
“No problem.” Steve said.  
_“Bye.”_  
“Goodbye, my dude.”  
_“How aggressively American of you.”_  
“Hey.”  
_“Good bye, Bucky.”_  
“Damn Brit.” Bucky muttered after he’d hung up. Steve smirked, amused.  
“You love the guy and you know it.”  
“True, true.”

~

“So that’s a no to…everything I’ve suggested.” Chris said, Tom nodded. “Suppose it’s only fair. I said no to all of your suggestions.”  
“What’s wrong with Bruno?” Tom asked, pointing to the computer screen, where a picture of an obese dachshund and adoption details were on prominent display.  
“He’s very fat and about as unintimidating as you can get.”  
“Well, now you just sound judgy.”  
“Really, Tom? Bernie was perfectly fine and you refused him.”  
“Did you see his jowls? All that spit. So much drool, it’d be everywhere.”  
“Fine, fine, nothing jowly. So, how are we going to manage this then? We’re kind of looking in two completely different areas.”  
“Yes, I agree.” Tom said with a nod. “How do we manage this?”  
“Hmm…” Chris pondered the situation as Tom kept scrolling down the page.  
“Oh, look, this one comes with a cat.”  
“We’re not getting a cat.”  
“Why?”  
“Because I don’t want a cat.”  
“Ugh.” He continued to scroll until Chris spoke up again.  
“Wait, wait, scroll back up, scroll back up.”  
“Um…this one?”  
“No, a little more.”  
“This one?”  
“Yes. Look at her.”  
“She is lovely…I don’t know, though…”  
“What’s the hang up?”  
“Well, she’s older. We’ll get probably four or five years out of her and then…”  
“Well, all the more reason for us to snatch her up quick then. More time with her.”  
“Hmm…”

~

 _“A ten year old German Shepherd/Chow mix? Really?”_  
“Yes. She’s trained, housebroken, mellowed out, and it fits with Chris’s need to find a ‘suitable’ protector.”  
_“I’ll say. Female Shepherds are nuts and Chows are super protective of their owners. You know she might take a while to settle in, right?”_  
“Yes, I know.” Tom said as he dug about in the fridge, pulling food out as he went, preparing to get an early start on dinner. Bucky, on the other hand, was at work and technically shouldn’t have been talking with him, but that hadn’t stopped him from calling upon finding out from Chris they’d picked a dog. “She’s a lovely animal, you should see her.”  
_“Preferably from a distance. I only have one arm left, I’m not going to let your guard dog tear it off.”_  
“She won’t be that bad and you know it.” Tom said, setting the food out and grabbing the utensils and pots and pans he’d need for cooking. “She just needs to get to know you. She may not worship the ground you walk on, but she at least won’t be aggressive.”  
_“In theory. Every dog’s different.”_  
“I’ve been meaning to ask, you obviously enjoy dogs, you know enough to make your interest obvious. So why don’t you own one yourself?”  
_“Not sure really. Guess it wasn’t meant be for us.” Bucky admitted, sounding thoughtful. “Maybe someday, but, for now, we’re fine with just us.”_  
“That’s fair.” Tom said. “I’m going to start meal prepping, you want to be on speaker or…”  
_“Nah, I should go. I think someone’s been trying to get my attention for a few minutes now, actually.”_  
“Oh my god, get off the phone and do your job then!” Tom scolded. Bucky laughed.  
_“You sound like a nanny lecturing me! Oh, boy, that’s good.”_  
“That’s it, I’m working on the American accent.”  
_“Oh, god, no, please. I love your Britishness, I swear I do.”_  
“Get back to work.” Tom said, Bucky laughed again.  
_“Alright, alright, I’m going. Talk to you later.”_  
“Bye for now.” Tom hung up, getting some music going for himself as he began preparing ingredients for dinner. He was halfway done with the vegetables when the doorbell rang. “Who could that be…?” He was about to call for Chris, as had become habit since Chris always answered the door, when he realized Chris was at work. He sighed, pausing the music and making his way out of the kitchen to answer the door. An older man stood there, smiling politely. “May I help you?”  
“Yes, I think.” The man said. “Are you Thomas Laufeyson Foster?”  
“I am, yes. Do…I know you?” Tom was intrigued, but at the same time, something about the situation was making him nervous. The man didn’t appear threatening, didn’t have any visible weapon, hadn’t made any hostile gestures, but something still felt off.   
“You used to.” The man said, something in his voice made Tom even more uneasy. Like the man had just found a precious pet that had been stolen from his yard.   
“I don’t now.” Tom said, trying to sound firm. “May I ask your name?”  
“Johann Schmidt. Call me John, if you like.”  
“The name doesn’t ring a bell, I’m sorry.” Tom said, shaking his head a bit.  
“You were quite young, I’m not surprised you don’t remember. Here, perhaps this will jog something.” He dug into his coat pocket, pulling out a picture and showing it to Tom, whose eyes widened.  
“That’s my mother.” He looked from the picture to the man. “You worked with her?”  
“I did, yes. I was her superior. This is the day I assigned her to an important project. She was a brilliant woman, I was quite sad to learn she was gone.” John said. Tom was starting to relax a bit, despite the lingering feeling that something wasn’t right. “I’m sorry, this must be very peculiar to you.”  
“A bit, if I’m honest.” Tom admitted, an apologetic smile on his face. “I don’t remember her ever mentioning you.”  
“Understandable, we weren’t friends so much as teammates.” John said, pocketing the picture again. “Your adoptive family was kind enough to tell me where you were when I finally managed to track your parents’ home down.”  
“If I may ask, why so eager to find me?”  
“Because I’ve been thinking a great deal about the project she was working on lately. And that, naturally, led me to look for her. When I found out what had happened, I decided to at least try to find you. A foolish venture, but I’m not overly long for this world so I allow myself some foolishness occasionally.”  
“That’s…fair I suppose.” Tom said. “Um, I’m sorry, I’ve been terribly rude. Would you like to come in?” He finally asked. He’d been stalling in hopes of the man leaving, but now that he knew the man was an acquaintance of his mother, he decided it only right to be polite.  
“Yes, thank you very much.” John said gratefully as Tom stepped aside to allow him inside. “My, you’ve done well for yourself, I see.”  
“Oh, it’s not just me here.” Tom said.  
“A housemate?”  
“A…romantic interest.” He left it vague incase the old man was put off by the idea of same sex couples.  
“Ah. Of course, someone as handsome as you would probably have the pick of the litter.” John said with a brief chuckle. “You’ve grown up well. The last time I saw you, you were about knee height and clinging to Dora’s skirt.” John said as he appraised Tom for a moment. “A far cry from the scrawny little bundle of nervousness you used to be.”  
“Thank you.” Tom smiled politely.   
“Tell me,” John said after a long moment of silent contemplation, “are you still doing puzzles?”  
“Um, when I have time, yes. Why?”  
“Well, I brought this with.” He dug into the satchel at his side, pulling out a box, with symbols, shapes, sliding bits and a mass of complexities all over it. “It’s a little worn by now, but it should still work. I had planned to give it to you when you were younger but your parents deciding to move away put a stop to that.”  
“Oh. Thank you. Very much.” Tom said, taking the box. “That’s very thoughtful.”  
“You’re welcome, my boy.” John looked at his watch. “Oh, goodness, I should be going. Thank you, for sparing some of your time.”  
“Of course.” Tom said with a smile and a nod, showing John to the door, letting him out just as Chris pulled up.   
“Ah, the romantic interest?” John asked. Tom fidgeted a bit.  
“It is, yes.” He said as Chris got out of his truck, watching John warily as he approached the pair. “Chris, this is Johann Schmidt. He knew my mother.”  
“Pleasure to meet you…Chris, he said?” John said, offering Chris a hand.  
“He did, yes.” Chris confirmed, taking the offered hand.   
“Call me John.” John said. “Well, I’ll be going. It was good to see you again, Tom.”  
“Nice to meet you, John.” Tom said, earning a laugh from the man as he got into the backseat of an expensive looking car, gave a final wave to Tom and nodded to the driver, who started up the car.  
“So, who was that again?” Chris asked as they watched the car drive away.  
“Johann Schmidt.” Tom said. “He, apparently, knew my mother before she moved and started her new job.”  
“Ah…and he was looking for you why?”  
“Well,” Tom said as the pair went inside, “apparently he was looking for her but, well, she’s permanently unavailable…so he decided to seek me out. I, apparently, knew him when I was a boy, but I guess it was far enough back that I don’t remember.”  
“I see…what the hell is that?”  
“Oh, it’s a puzzle box. I used to play with puzzles a great deal when I was younger. I still dabble when I can, but I’m nowhere near as skilled as I used to be.” He picked up the box examining it, turning it in his hands. “apparently he’s had this for years, had planned to give it to me as a gift but, well, my parents moving nixed that.”  
“I see…”  
“Oh, Chris, stop it. He’s a harmless old man looking for something familiar to him.” Tom said firmly, putting the puzzle back down and heading for the kitchen to work on dinner.   
“You don’t fully believe that, though, do you?” Chis asked, following Tom. “I know you, Tom. You’re not entirely sure about him.”  
“Well…” Tom leaned back against the counter, arms folded over his chest. “I admit, I just got…a feeling from him. He seemed harmless enough, knew my mother, was perfectly friendly and polite…but, something…something just didn’t fit…and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it was.”  
“Why let him in if you felt uneasy?”  
“Because he was a colleague of my mother’s, I wasn’t going to be rude.”  
“Tom, you get gut feelings like that for a reason. Listen to them when they happen.” Chris said, Tom huffed and looked away from him.  
“I’m not a child, nor am I stupid. I admit, my nature makes me a little…easy to trick, but I still have the ability to recognize danger if I see it.” He looked at Chris again. “I’m not going to shatter, Chris. I can manage.”  
“I never said you couldn’t.”  
“You didn’t overly need to. You treat me like I’m made of glass when it comes to the outside world. I know that incident shook you up, it gave me a scare too, but that’s not going to happen on a regular basis, if it ever even happens again.” He pushed off the counter, standing in front of Chris, looking up at him. “I’m not a child, I’ve survived worse than an old man or a mentally ill man’s delusions.”  
“Tom, I-“ He stopped when he realized what Tom had just said. “What else has there been?”  
Tom’s entire demeanor changed suddenly when he realized what he’d said. He stepped away from Chris, going back to the abandoned dinner prep, suddenly very keen on keeping his mouth shut, nervous and unable to make eye contact, or even so much as look at Chris it seemed.  
“I need to get dinner going.” He said quickly.  
“Tom-“  
“The topic’s closed. If you want to talk about something else, that’s fine, but if you’re just going to keep trying to delve, I ask that you leave me be.”   
Chris stared for a long, long time. This was very unlike Tom. He was open, unperturbed by talking about himself usually. Had Chris finally found the darkness his light was hiding?  
“When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here.” He said before leaving Tom to his task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, I mentioned a question when I first posted the story. My question is...how 'everyday' should I leave Tom? I have plans for both getting him deeper involved in things, and plans for keeping him on the outskirts of it, but I can't decide which I want to do. So, any suggestions on that?


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the family, lazy chubby dog from the tags!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know I asked a question that should have put the story on hold but I have a bunch written that should be alright to post before I get an answer. so, here's another chapter.

“Johann Schmidt, hm?” Steve asked as he and Chris spoke in Steve and Bucky’s backyard.  
“He said he preferred John.” Chris said. “Does the name mean anything to you?”  
“Hm…Maybe. But I’d need to dig through some files I don’t know if I actually have clearance to look at.” Steve said thoughtfully. “You said he claimed to know Tom’s mother?”  
“Tom told me they were colleagues.”  
“Hmm…”

“So, how does it work?” Bucky asked as he and Tom examined the puzzle box.  
“I have no idea.” Tom confessed. “I just got it yesterday.”  
“Looks like there’s different puzzles on each side, but…see here, and here, they all seem to connect together somehow. We need to get all of them right in the proper way to call this a victory.” Bucky said. Tom nodded.  
“I agree.”  
“So, where do we start?”  
“Oh, lord, I have no idea.” Tom said, leaning back in his seat, the duo sitting inside at the table Bucky used for puzzles. “I have no idea how he thought a younger me would figure this out if adult me is stumped.”  
“Eh, kids’ brains work different than ours.” Bucky said with a shrug. “We’ll just have to hope our adult brains are good enough. Now, help me out here.”  
“Alright.” Tom scooted in closer as the pair looked the puzzle box over. Six puzzles, all of which connected together, an endless loop if done properly. “Well, why don’t we try to work out what even needs to be done to complete the side.”  
“How will we know if we complete anything?”  
“I don’t know.”

“Buck told me Phil paid you a visit.” Steve said as he and Chris worked on clearing the yard, a storm had come through overnight and everything around the neighborhood was a mess.  
“Yeah. They want me back.” Chris’s brow furrowed, he was still hesitant.  
“You going?”  
“Honestly, I think so. Tom sort of talked me into it.”  
Steve looked surprised by that.  
“I thought he didn’t like you being gone.”  
“He doesn’t, but he said, if I do go back, he won’t stop me.” Chris glanced back at the house. “I don’t know about leaving him, Steve. Phil knows where we are. If Nick pushes enough, he’ll tell him. Then it’s up in the air as to what might happen.”  
“Nick’s no idiot. He won’t try to meddle when it’s possible they could convince you to come back.” Steve pointed out. “Help me with this, would you?”  
“Sure…Honestly, how many people in this day and age that live in the city own a wheelbarrow?”   
“At least two.” Steve said as he tossed some branches into said wheelbarrow, Chris assisting in breaking up some of the bigger ones.   
“Honestly, I knew I was good at the job, a go-to a lot of the times it seemed…I didn’t think I was that good, though.” Chris admitted.  
“Chris, you and I are their top operatives. There’s no one that does better than us. Tash and the others are just good enough to be elite with us, but we’re the top.” Steve said. “You’re lucky the higher ups decided to let Nick and Phil handle things.”  
“I know that much. He got there before I did. If it had been almost anyone but Phil…”  
“They wouldn’t have hurt him, Chris.” Steve tried to reassure his friend, but it only seemed to work a little bit.  
“Depends on who it was, Steve, you know that.” Chris gave him a serious look. “The wrong person could have handled the whole thing so much worse.”  
“No point in thinking about it now. You’ll drive yourself nuts if you keep that up. You learn from your experiences and move on with whatever alterations are necessary to ensure things go smoother next time…or to ensure there’s no next time.” Steve said, Work having paused for the moment. “That’s pretty much all I’ve been doing when it comes to Bucky. That’s the only reason he hasn’t been found out yet. Adapt and Tom’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.”

“Ok, so, it looks like this is at least a simple sliding piece puzzle.” Bucky said, Tom groaned.  
“Oh, I’m absolutely rubbish at those.”  
“Well, I’ll handle it then.” Bucky said, “Pick another side, we have five left.”  
“Alright…let’s see…Hmm…How about this one?”  
“What the hell do you even…”  
“I have no idea but that’s why I want to try it.”  
“That’s…Ok, then. We’ll start with that. Work on this bit by bit.”  
“I agree.”

~

“You still working on that puzzle?” Chris asked, looking at Tom, who was sat on the couch, the odd puzzle box on his lap, a perplexed look on his face.  
“Yes.” Tom said with a nod. “I can’t…seem to get it. Once I think I have it, I turn the thing over and it doesn’t match at all. I’ve ‘solved’ this specific side three times so far.”  
“Tough luck, love.”  
“Thanks.” Tom grumbled.  
“Do you want some help?”  
“Are you offering or just asking?”  
“Offering?” Chris stood up from the chair he was settled in, joining Tom on the couch. “Let’s see.”  
“It’s a nuisance, really.” Tom said, handing the puzzle to Chris. “Best of luck.”  
“I have a feeling I’ll need it…” Chris said once he’d gotten a good look at the puzzle. “What even…How do you…”  
“I figured out that you need to turn these, then they move around the side and you place them, but…well, here’s the problem.” Tom scooted over next to Chris, pointing to four spots along the edges of the side. “See those spots? They need to match up with those. Those can’t be moved. They’re on all the sides.”  
“So, it has to be one continuous loop over all six sides?”  
“Yes.”  
“That’s evil.”  
“Yes.” Tom sighed, standing up and heading for the kitchen. “You want anything?”  
“A cider…” He poked at the puzzle a bit, eyes narrowing. “Or, maybe two.”  
“One to start!”  
“It’s _always_ one to start!”

~

“So, what should we name her?”  
“You don’t like Violet?” Chris asked. They were picking up the dog they’d spotted on the adoption site, a ten year old German Shepherd/Chow Chow mix.  
“It’s a nice name, I just…wouldn’t mind giving her a new name, you know, since she’s starting a new life.”  
“You are just damned adorable.”   
“Ok, boys, here comes Miss Violet!” The shelter employee chirped, all smiles, leading the greynosed dog out to them on a lead. She stood, slightly chubby, fluffy, and stone faced, at the employee’s side. She came up to mid thigh, with the stocky build of a Chow. She had a shorter snout, a midway point between a Shepherd and a Chow, the curled tail of a Chow, coat pattern of a Shepherd, and lovely brown eyes. The amount of fur and skin on her face made her look eternally indifferent to everything, and that didn’t appear to be far off from her normal personality, if how much interest she seemed to have in the world around her was anything to go by.  
“Can we pet her?”  
“If she’ll let you.” The employee said with a nod.   
“We’re leaving with her, I’d hope she’d let us.” Chris muttered.  
“Now, she’s a bit slow to trust and she’ll probably just find someplace to camp out for a while until she’s comfortable. Just let her have her space and give her time, she’ll come out of her shell.”  
“Thank you for the advice.” Tom said, crouching down to let Violet sniff him if she pleased. She stood still, the pair watching eachother.   
“So, can I ask, what her story is?” Chris asked, watching Violet eyeing Tom.  
“Well, her original owner wasn’t exactly a spring chicken. He died and she ended out in a local shelter. She was still fairly young so the hope was that she’d be adopted quickly. Puppies go fastest, after all.”  
“Not the case for her?”  
“Oh, no, she got snapped up quick…but she was one of the unfortunates, she went to someone that treated her terribly. Tied her up in the basement, didn’t feed her well. The only reason she was rescued was they moved her outside when they got tired of her stinking up the basement. Someone reported them and she was taken back to the shelter. Her next owner gifted her to someone that was looking for more of a punching bag than a pet. He was reported, she was adopted again, her owner moved and couldn’t take her with so they left her with someone they thought would treat her well, but when they checked in, they found her worse for wear, they took her back to the shelter. The family that took her next moved way out here, and, well, she’s older, couldn’t keep up with them, so she ended out here.”  
“Damn. Poor girl.”  
“Yeah. In light of her history, we’ll be doing regular checks for a while. If you’re discontent, please, bring her back-“  
“She’s staying with us.”  
“Tom?” Chris looked down at Tom, surprised. Tom never interrupted people and his tone of voice was…unusual. Protective was the best way Chris could think of to describe it. “You ok?”  
“Yes…” Tom said quietly, an odd look on his face. The strange part was Violet seemed to be mirroring it. “I’m fine…She’ll be fine with us.”  
“…Alright.” The employee said, looking as confused as Chris at the sudden turn in Tom’s demeanor. “Well, we’ll leave her to you then. Here are her things.” She picked up a box with a few dog related things in it, handing it to Chris, letting Tom take the lead. “Thank you for adopting her, she’s been passed over quite a bit because of her age.”  
“We’ll make sure she’s well taken care of.” Chris said. “Come on, Tom.” Tom gave a nod, leading Violet to the truck, helping her up into the back seat, closing the door and climbing into the front seat. “What happened back there?” Chris asked when he was in the car, Violet sniffing and snorting her way around until she was satisfied her exploration was complete.  
“What do you mean?” Tom asked, looking away when Chris gave him a knowing look.  
“Tom, you never interrupt people, and I can’t even think of a name for the emotions I saw on your face when you heard her story. What happened?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Tom.”  
“Nothing, Chris. It’s not important.”  
“Tom, I-“ He huffed in agitation, starting the truck and driving away from the shelter.

~

“Welcome to your new home.” Tom said to Violet as they got out of the truck. “Care to take a wander?”  
“You’re not hoping for an answer, are you?” Chris asked, Tom gave him a look and he laughed quietly. He watched Violet pace and sniff at the grass, the moment of understanding that she and Tom seemed to have shared still fresh in his mind. He started trying to connect the few dots he had for certain. Tom was hiding something. It was something that happened before Chris had met him. Violet’s story had unsettled him. Was there a connection there? He knew Tom was adopted, the Fosters weren’t his biological family, but he didn’t know much else aside from his parents had died while out of the country. He contemplated for a bit, trying to work with what he had, following Tom and Violet into the backyard, closing the gate behind them so Tom could let her off lead if he so chose. He dropped the lead, leaving it attached to her harness, watching her wander, a small smile on his face. Then something occurred to him.  
“Chris?” Tom was walking over to him. “Are you alright?”  
“Huh? Yeah. I’m fine. Why?”  
“Well, Violet just peed all over your foot and you don’t appear to have noticed.”  
“What?! Fuck!”   
“You’re not ingratiating yourself very well, Violet.” Tom said, looking down at the dog, who stood between him and Chris, watching Chris swear and rub his shoe on the grass. “Chris, calm down, we’ll clean off your shoe when we get inside.”  
“This is not a good way to start out your time here, dog.” Chris grumbled, glaring at Violet for a moment, she looked completely and utterly unperturbed and, in fact, wandered away to sniff along the side the house.  
“Goodness, she certainly seems to be getting comfortable here.” Tom was smiling as he said it and Chris couldn’t help but let his agitation fade. He watched Tom for a few long moments, until the smaller man finally spoke up again. “Is something wrong?”  
“You were fostered, right?” The words left his mouth before he could properly register and swallow them. The look on Tom’s face answered a great deal, though.  
“I…yes, for about five years after my parents died. Have’t I mentioned that before?”  
“Not to me, no.” Chris said, shaking his head.  
“Oh. Well, there it is.” Tom said, uneasy, tense and a bit shifty. He only let the silence between them last a few more seconds before trying to walk away. Chris reached out, grabbing his arm, Tom freezing up completely. “Did…you have more to say?”  
Chris paused. What good would it do to force an answer out of Tom now? What would he gain? Knowledge, yes, but at the cost of Tom’s comfort and trust. He made a choice.  
“Yeah. We’re locking her out of the room whenever we have sex. I get the weird feeling she’s a starer.”  
Tom was still for a moment, before he broke down laughing. Violet paused her explorations, watching her new owner almost fall over he was laughing so hard. Chris held Tom steady while he composed himself.  
“Out of…everything you-you could have….Oh, lord, Chris, I love you!” Tom hugged Chris, still not entirely finished with his laughing fit. Chris smiled, hugging Tom back. He’d almost let not knowing get the better of him. Tom would share in his own time. Chris would need to be patient. And, if the dog pooping right in front of the backdoor was anything to go by, he’d have plenty to distract him.

The trio went inside and Violet began to wander…until she found Tom’s office. After that, she simply hopped up on the old plaid couch and settled in.  
“Well…”  
“Yeah.” Chris had an arm around Tom’s shoulders. “Guess that’s her spot now.”  
“I guess. As long as she doesn’t mind me coming in to work.” Tom said, leaning against Chris, all signs of discomfort gone.  
“Well,” Chris said with a smile, “Guess we should probably see what all the shelter had for her.”  
“Mhm. Did they leave us any notes on when to feed her or what she eats?”  
“Um…Nope, doesn’t look like it.” Chris said, digging through the box that held Violet’s meager belongings. A red blanket, a tennis ball with half the fabric missing, a teddy bear that was in surprisingly good condition, and a nubbly bone shaped chew toy. “Guess we’ll have to wing it.”   
“No, I’ll call them.”  
“Why?”   
“Well,” Tom said as he looked up the shelter on his phone, “Bucky was saying that it’s best to try to keep everything as similar to her usual schedule as possible until she settles in. Leave as much the same as possible to make things less stressful for her.”  
“Since when does Bucky know about dogs?”  
“Since forever apparently.” Tom said as he pushed the call button. “I asked him why he and Steve don’t have one of their own, he just said it never really happened.”  
“That’s…fair?” Chris looked past Tom, who was now talking to an employee at the shelter, at Violet, who was watching the pair closely. He knew that look, she was on guard. He couldn’t blame her, really. Every time she was taken from the shelter, she’d been hurt somehow and brought right back. She had no real reason to believe this time would be any different. He hoped they wouldn’t have to take her back, Tom was already attached, apparently, so it would be difficult to get him to cave if she wasn’t working out. Those were problems for the future, though. For now, he would take stock of what they still needed for her.

~

“Wow, she looks a lot more Shepherd-y than I thought she would. The taller ears, the coat pattern, the height…” Bucky said as he eyed up Violet where she lay on the couch in Tom’s office. “She…actually, she looks kinda like a bear from this angle.”  
“Yes, she does have that kind of face.” Tom agreed.  
“And she hasn’t moved from that spot since you brought her home yesterday?”  
“Well, she moved long enough to relieve herself on the carpet, but that appears to be about it.”  
“You said she seemed more at ease outside?”  
“Yes, but I suppose that makes sense. She wasn’t closed in with a couple of complete strangers when she was out in the yard…but she won’t leave the office now so I’m not sure how to get her back out there.” Tom said, looking a little concerned. Bucky gave him a few comforting pats on the shoulder.  
“She’ll sort herself eventually. The best way to make her comfortable is pretty much just to leave her be to do her own things for the time being.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah. She needs to get used to things on her own terms. That includes you two.”  
“My poor carpet…”

**Author's Note:**

> So, my intention was to write the whole thing then post it cos that seems to be the only way I finish anything I write, but I've hit a point where I want other people's opinion. So, I'll post what I've got so far then ask your opinion. Also, I know it's a bit janky timeline wise, I'm forever tweaking it as I write, so I'll post cleaned up versions as I go...Also, by all means, tell me what pairing I'm writing, for god's sake.


End file.
